Kerry Anne Pickersgill and daughter Ellie Newby, of the farm in Marwood, Barnard Castle, handed a suspended sentence and community order respectively for their treatment of dogs and horses.

The pair were sentenced at Durham Crown Court on February 13 for the treatment of 40 horses and dogs after the RSPCA discovered dead and dying equines at their farm in February 2025.

Neglect (Image: RSPCA)

Pickersgill, 48, pleaded guilty to 15 offences relating to 22 horses and 21 dogs, and one charge of breaching a ban on keeping animals for life imposed in May 2015. She was handed a two-year jail term, suspended for two years.

Newby, 25, admitted two offences in relation to two dogs, and was given a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work and disqualified from keeping dogs for five years.

Their sentences were referred to the Attorney General’s Office for review for being ‘too lenient’ under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme where anyone can ask for a sentence to be reviewed if they don’t think it is harsh enough.

But Pickershill and Newby’s sentences will not be reviewed due to the fact their offences aren’t covered under the scheme.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) said: “The offence involved in this upsetting case is not within scope of the Unduly Lenient scheme, as it is not an indictable only offence.

Horses found in one of the buildings (Image: RSPCA)

“Because of this, the law officers were unable to review under the scheme.”

In total, twenty-two horses, some collapsed and the majority underweight, were found living alongside dead equines in filthy barns and stables.

Twenty-one dogs, many matted with mouldy faeces, were also discovered in sheds and trailers.

At the top of the drive was a large area where items were being dumped.

There was evidence of a fire having been lit, and among a mound of straw, wood and bedding material were the carcasses of at least two horses, one of which was partially charred.

In his written evidence, RSPCA Inspector Ian Smith described seeing horse bones: “As I approached the mound I saw the skeletal remains of an equine,” he said.

“The rib cage was clearly obvious, and a foreleg under some branches.

“As we walked round the pile, I came across bones from various parts of an equine’s body and a head. These had been there for some considerable time, as flesh had decomposed.

“I was then taken to a stable which had no lighting, but I was still able to see a chestnut foal and its dead mother lying in the corner.

His colleague, Inspector Clare Wilson, said in her evidence: “Most of the dogs were kept in the dark, and the lights that were pointed out by Ms Pickersgill did not work when turned on.

“Many of the dogs were extremely underweight, with all bones easily seen and felt, and all were matted, stained and smelly, most with mouldy faeces matted into their fur. I saw a dead horse on a muck pile outside in the farmyard.”

Neglect (Image: RSPCA)

A total of 16 live horses were transported to a private equine facility for immediate veterinary treatment. Six of them were owned by other people and were on loan to the defendants at the time.

Female Cockapoo Bumble when rescued (Image: RSPCA)

Pickersgill and Newby also agreed to sign over the dogs, which included Spaniels, Cockapoos, Poodle crosses and Old English Sheepdogs.

The vast majority of dogs were nursed back to health and rehomed by the RSPCA’s Great Ayton Animal Centre in North Yorkshire and Felledge Animal Centre in County Durham.

Dr Amir Khan has issued a warning about a common habit that many people do

A doctor has issued a warning about a common habit people perform “before bed”. According to Dr Amir Khan, this routine could actually be making symptoms “worse”.

How frequently you need the toilet each day depends on a range of factors. Your food and fluid intake, caffeine consumption, the temperature, as well as stress and anxiety levels all have an impact.

However, excessive trips to the bathroom can have long-lasting consequences. In a video posted to his Instagram account, Dr Amir explained further.

Dr Amir, who is widely recognised for his appearances on ITV, urged people to stop taking a “just in case wee” before bed and before heading out. He said: “If you’re someone who does a just in case wee just before leaving the house, maybe before a meeting, or before bed, sometimes even twice, this is really important for you.

“It might actually be making your bladder symptoms worse. I see this all the time in clinic, people going again, even when they’ve just been, because it feels safer than risking urgency or waking up in the middle of the night to go.”

Doing this could be sending entirely the wrong signals to your brain. “But here’s what’s really happening,” he said.

“Your bladder is a muscle and it works with your nerves to tell your brain when it’s full. Now, normally that signal up to your brain shouldn’t come until your bladder is holding around 300 to 500ml of urine.

“But if you keep emptying it early, you know, those ‘just in case wees’, you start to retrain that system between your bladder and your brain. And over time, your bladder gets used to being emptied at lower volumes.”

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Dr Amir drew a comparison with a sensitive car alarm, explaining: “I would say to my patients, it’s like a car alarm that’s become too sensitive.

“At first it only goes off when there’s a real but then it starts going off at everything – a gust of wind, someone just walking past, that’s what your bladder is doing.

“It starts sending, ‘I need to go now’ signals even when it’s barely full, that’s how urgency and urge incontinence develop or get worse. Because instead of emptying everything, you’re teaching your bladder to signal to your brain you need to go earlier and earlier.”

This can result in disturbed sleep during the night. “So you end up waking up in the middle of the night needing to go even when your bladder isn’t that full,” he said.

“And even though you went before you went to bed, you might not needed to but you went anyway.”

How to prevent this

To stop this happening you might need to “retrain” your bladder, Dr Amir said, posing the question: “So what’s the solution?

“Well, you need to retrain the alarm system. That’s bladder training, try to cut down on those ‘just in case wees’. Stick to going every three or four hours rather than constantly and space out those weeds more and more.

“If urgency hits, pause, breathe, stay still, let it pass before going to the toilet. You’re teaching your bladder this isn’t an emergency, and also don’t forget reduce caffeine avoid large drinks right before bed.”

He also suggested performing pelvic floor exercises. “And those pelvic floor exercises, this all takes time,” he said.

“Most people notice a small improvement in two to four weeks, but it can take six to 12 weeks to really retrain that bladder. “

If you’re experiencing urinary incontinence

The NHS website recommends scheduling an appointment with your GP if you’re suffering from any type of urinary incontinence. It states: “Urinary incontinence is a common problem and you should not feel embarrassed talking to them about your symptoms.

“This can also be the first step towards finding a way to effectively manage the problem.”

Donald Trump has reportedly issued Nato allies with an ultimatum to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz within days, as his ceasefire with Iran risks collapse over Israel’s deadly strikes on Lebanon.

Nato boss Mark Rutte told European leaders that Mr Trump expects partners to make concrete military commitments, according to Der Spiegel, casting the demand as an “ultimatum”.

Mr Trump’s edict came amid reports that he was drawing up a list of partners that supported or opposed his war in the Middle East, weighing up the removal of US forces from countries deemed resistant.

In another outburst on social media earlier in the day, the president lamented that “NATO WASN’T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON’T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN. REMEMBER GREENLAND, THAT BIG, POORLY RUN, PIECE OF ICE!!!” [sic]

Mr Trump’s fragile ceasefire in the Middle East looked on the verge of collapse, with Iran threatening to pull out of talks if Israel presses on with strikes on Lebanon, including in Beirut. Iran accuses the US and Israel of flouting the ceasefire agreement.

Israel insists its operation is aimed at defeating Hezbollah, but experts have warned the action could lead to a similar humanitarian crisis as Gaza.

However, Mr Netanyahu appeared to shift his tone on Thursday, saying he had instructed his cabinet to start direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible.

More than 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon over the past six weeks, including over 250 in concentrated strikes on Wednesday. More than a million people, close to 20 per cent of Lebanon’s population, has already been displaced in six weeks.

Iran’s deputy prime minister Dr Saeed Khatibzadeh called Israel’s action a “grave violation” of the agreement and said “the coming hours are very critical” as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hinted it will resume fighting if the attacks on Lebanon do not stop.

Dr Khatibzadeh said on Thursday that Iran was on the verge of responding to what it considered to be ceasefire violations on Wednesday night, but Pakistan intervened to prevent an escalation.

The IRGC said it would enact a “regret-inducing” response to the attacks if they continued, with state media quoting an official: “Any attack on the proud Hezbollah is an attack on Iran.”

Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian added: “Iran will not abandon the Lebanese people”. Sensitivities were further heightened as Iranians turned up in droves to mourn supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 40 days after he was killed in US-Israeli attacks on 28 February.

President Trump said that US military personnel would remain stationed around the region until the agreement is “fully complied with” and that “bigger, and better, and stronger” attacks would follow if it was breached.

Oil prices surged again in response to the confusion after initially plummeting on Wednesday following the ceasefire announcement.

Multiple ship-tracking sources including Lloyd’s List Intelligence and Kpler said that movement through the Strait of Hormuz remains at a standstill.

Iran warned that ships passing through the vital waterway may be hit by “anti-ship mines in the main transit routes” due to the “state of war” as it advised vessels to follow alternative paths.

Iran’s navy stressed all vessels must stay in touch with security forces to avoid “potential collisions with naval mines”.

Peace talks are due to take place at the Serena Hotel in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Saturday, with vice-president JD Vance due to lead a US delegation, according to Axios, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, to lead the Iranians, according to reports.

But Tehran has also threatened to walk away from the process entirely, citing Israeli violations of the ceasefire as grounds to withdraw, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Israel’s actions have sparked international outrage with British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper condemning the escalation as “deeply damaging” and calling for Lebanon to be “urgently included” in the agreement.

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas criticised the number of civilian deaths in Lebanon and said it was becoming “hard to argue that such heavy-handed actions fall within self-defence”. Ms Kallas called on the ceasefire agreement to be extended to Lebanon.

President Emmanuel Macron and French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the agreement must cover Lebanon as France condemned “massive” Israeli strikes.

Mr Barrot said Iran must give up the right to nuclear weapons, surrender its use of missiles and drones to threaten other countries in the region and stop supporting militant groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis.

Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country had resumed direct talks with the Iranian leadership and said he does not want “Nato to break apart” amid the crisis and said he had encouraged President Trump to pursue negotiations “with urgency”.

Mr Netanyahu is also facing backlash within Israel with opposition leaders calling his actions in Iran and Lebanon a “historical disaster”.

Koepka, 35, has been welcomed back to the PGA Tour after applying for reinstatement under a new ‘Returning Member Programme’, facilitated for those who had won a major – or The Players Championship – since 2022.

The five-time major champion also smoothed his return by paying fines said to be worth around £63m.

Reed, who won the Masters in 2018, did not match the same criteria for reinstatement as Koepka and cannot regain his membership until January 2027.

However, he will be eligible to play on the PGA Tour again this coming August, a year after his final LIV appearance.

Watson claims the PGA Tour has “made a decision to renege” on what they promised to those who stayed loyal.

“When the players left, they violated the number one rule, which is to protect the sponsors,” said the 1977 and 1981 Masters champion.

“Sponsors need players. They need the names to be able to promote their tournaments.

“When the players left for LIV, I think it was basically over.

“They chose to go for the money, which is fine. To return to the Tour, I thought, was a nonstarter. Apparently it’s not.”

The ceasefire in the Middle East is on shaky ground. Israel continued its bombardment of Lebanon on Wednesday, claiming its activities there are not part of the deal with Iran. These attacks killed at least 254 people across Lebanon and injured over 800 more in what was Israel’s largest offensive of the war so far.

Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz again and threatened a “regret-inducing response” if the strikes continue. Donald Trump subsequently warned that US strikes on Iran would resume if it did not comply with the ceasefire. We spoke to Scott Lucas, an expert in Middle East politics at University College Dublin, who addresses several key issues.

Why is there confusion about whether Lebanon was included in the ceasefire?

Part of the problem is the nature of diplomacy in 2026. The Trump camp and Pakistan’s prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, who has been a key mediator between the US and Iran since the start of the war, both issued statements on social media instead of coordinating the release of an agreed text.

That said, there should be no confusion. Sharif’s social media post made clear that the ceasefire also applies to Israel’s campaign in Lebanon. He wrote: “I am pleased to announce that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.”

Trump also accepted that later peace talks in Pakistan would be based on Iran’s ten-point plan, which he described as a “workable basis on which to negotiate”. One of Iran’s demands is for “an end to attacks on Iran and its allies”. This includes the Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Why then is Israel still attacking Lebanon?

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not have an interest in ending the war until he establishes something he can claim as a “victory”. Israel’s objective in Iran is regime change. At the start of the war, Netanyahu announced that the “goal of the operation is to put an end to the threat from the Ayatollah regime in Iran”.

Trump’s goals in Iran are less clear. He entered the war pledging to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, destroy its missile capability, break its regional proxies, eliminate its navy and create an opening for regime change. But Iran’s regime is still in place and the Trump camp now appears willing to enter into negotiations with it.

So Netanyahu’s focus shifts to Lebanon and expansion of the Israeli occupation in the south of the country. Attacks will continue until that is achieved. The situation is similar to Gaza, where Israel now occupies 53% of the territory after its two years of attacks.

By presenting a victory over the threat of Hezbollah, pushing the group further from the Israeli border, Netanyahu can try to bolster his support at home despite any disappointment over the inconclusive outcome of the war in Iran.

Will Israel’s actions push the Gulf states closer to Iran?

For the first time since the start of the US and Israel’s war on February 28, the Iranian and Saudi Arabian foreign ministers have spoken by phone. In a statement following the call on April 9, the Saudi foreign ministry said the two men “reviewed the latest developments and discussed ways to reduce tensions to restore security and stability in the region”.

However, this is only a tentative beginning to repair the damage of the past six weeks. Gulf states are unhappy that the US exposed them to Iran’s retaliation by embarking upon the war, but that does not erase their anger with Tehran over the extent of the damage Iranian attacks have caused to energy infrastructure in the region.

Reports suggest that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have in recent weeks even been pressing the Trump camp to “finish the job” in Iran with ground operations to vanquish the regime. That option appears to have been paused for now. However, it is not off the table if the US-Iran negotiations collapse.

Where does all of this leave Donald Trump?

Angry, frustrated and uncertain what to do next. Trump’s bluster on April 7, in which he said “a whole civilization will die tonight” unless Iran reached a deal, was always an expression of weakness rather than strength. The plan A for regime surrender, with the killing of the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei and dozens of commanders and officials, did not have a plan B for when the remaining leaders refused to concede and instead struck back.

With Iran controlling the Strait of Hormuz and choking off Gulf shipping, including of oil and gas, the Trump camp was reduced to either ground operations or talks. Trump snatched at the latter amid military advice of the difficulties of a ground assault and domestic opinion that is largely opposed to further escalation.

But he did so by handing Iran the diplomatic initiative. Now the White House is trying to pull it back, including by giving Israel the green light to continue its assault in Lebanon. The US is now denying that Lebanon was ever included in the ceasefire deal, with Trump calling it a “separate skirmish”.

The situation in the Middle East thus remains extremely volatile as delegates from the US and Iran head to the Pakistani capital of Islamabad for crunch talks on April 10.

“It is alright getting your child an electric bike for Christmas or a birthday but if they get killed on it, it is you that has to live with it for the rest of your life”

A Belfast barber has issued a warning to young people about the dangers of electric bikes and e-scooters as children are “flying about the town like Mad Max”.

Jay Miller’s brother Wayne died after a car hit him when he was just seven-years-old. The popular barber saying that he relives the trauma of his death every single day and can still hear the noise of him being hit by the vehicle.

He says that this trauma has led him to become concerned about the actions of some young people across Belfast and Northern Ireland due to the dangerous ways they have been riding electric bikes and e-scooters. He says he fears it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed.

READ MORE: Belfast artist honours barber Jay Millar in mural tribute after recovering from near-death ordealREAD MORE: Family give update on Belfast barber Jay Millar after it was ‘touch and go’

Speaking to Belfast Live, Jay said he has seen multiple incidents of young people riding dangerously on electric bikes and scooters all over the city and has called on parents to take responsibility to ensure their children are safe.

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“I have been out doing a few videos with the homeless and kids are flying about on some of these bikes,” he said. “Even when I have been out in my car and van, I’ve seen so many young kids on the back wheel, no helmets on and obviously out of control.

“The thing about it is, its very worrying for drivers who are worried about knocking somebody down or kill somebody on an electric bike. There has been so much stuff that I have seen over the past couple of months it has been absolutely mental. I think some of the kids are out of control, and it is not just the kids but parents need to be responsible for what they are buying their children.

“I have spoken before about what happened to my younger brother when I was a child and it was heart wrenching, I am 44 now and it still haunts me every single day and if one kid gets killed on these electric bikes it is one too much.

“I think in England they are clearer on the law but we need the police, Stormont, communities and people on social media to come together to sort this thing out because it’s absolutely crazy.

“There are people flying about the town and all over the country like they are Mad Max. I have seen people on the Shankill, the Falls and they are even going up and down Royal Avenue. My video fella Aidan has seen a lot. The young ones jump on these and think there is no consequence when obviously everything does.

“This is why I felt the need to do videos with Aidan. At eight years old seeing my brother being knocked down, hearing that noise of a car hitting your brother and killing him outright, even the police woman that knocked him down, god help her she has had to live her whole life knowing she killed a child.

“I think a lot of young people it will never happen to them, and I thought the same about me and my brother, but it did and I live with the trauma of that loss every single day.

“My message for young people is to get rid of the bikes, it is not if but when its going to happen. I have six kids myself and there is not a chance they would be on any electric bikes or anything like that. It is alright getting your child an electric bike for Christmas or a birthday but if they get killed on it, it is you that has to live with it for the rest of your life.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Lidl GB announced the stores as part of a £600 million investment plan.

It comes just five months after the German-owned discounter applied for planning permission from City of York Council to build five new sites near York, in addition to one concerning the former Food Warehouse store at Clifton Moor.

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In a statement, CEO of Lidl GB, Ryan McDonnell, said: “As we grow, we want to positively impact our British communities.

“We’re not just opening doors; we’re unlocking regional growth.

“Our expansion translates directly into high-quality jobs and gives British suppliers the certainty they need to invest in the future.

“Above all, it advances our social purpose of making affordable, healthy food accessible to everyone.”

The firm has more than 1,000 stores across Britain, including ones located in James Street, Thanet Road and Monks Cross Drive.  

In May 2025, Lidl revealed 80 potential locations for new stores, including Harrogate, Ripon and Tadcaster.

Employment Minster, Kate Dearden, said: “This kind of investment is exactly what we want to see from big employers – creating thousands of good jobs that pay fair wages and boost the standard of living in communities across the country.

“Lidl’s expansion plans are a real vote of confidence in our plan to grow the economy, demonstrating that responsible business growth can bring significant benefits for both businesses and workers.”

A spokesperson for Lidl said: “To ensure we provide the most accurate timing for each site, we’re holding off on publishing the full list until specific opening dates are finalised.

“However, the 50-store goal is a firm commitment for the next 12 months and we’ll be sharing updates throughout the year as sites open.”

HOUSTON (AP) — Drawing ever closer to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for its upcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal and profound.

As the next-to-last day of their flight dawned Thursday, humanity’s first lunar explorers in more than half a century were less than 150,000 miles (240,000 kilometers) from home with the odometer clicking down.

“We have to get back. There’s so much data that you’ve seen already, but all the good stuff is coming back with us. There are so many more pictures, so many more stories,” said pilot Victor Glover, adding that “riding a fireball through the atmosphere is profound as well.”

Being cut off from all of humanity for nearly an hour while behind the moon was especially “surreal,” according to commander Reid Wiseman.

“There’s a lot that our brains have to process … and it is a true gift,” Wiseman said late Wednesday during the crew’s first news conference since before liftoff.

While out of contact behind the moon Monday, Wiseman, Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen became the most distant humans ever, clocking in at a record 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth before heading back. As they emerged from behind the moon, they experienced a wondrous total solar eclipse as the orb blocked the sun from their perspective.

Launching from Florida on April 1 diminished the amount of illumination on the lunar far side, Glover noted, but the eclipse was the consolation prize “and it was one of the greatest gifts.”

Friday’s reentry and Pacific splashdown off the coast of San Diego — as dynamic and dangerous as liftoff — now topped everyone’s minds. The recovery ship, USS John P. Murtha, was already at sea, with a squadron of military planes and helicopters poised to join the operation.

It’s the first time that NASA and the Defense Department have teamed up for a lunar crew’s reentry since Apollo 17 in 1972. Their Orion capsule will come screaming back, hitting the atmosphere at a predicted 34,965 feet (10,657 meters) per second — or 23,840 mph (38,367 kph) — not a record but still mind-bogglingly fast.

Mission Control will be paying close attention to how the capsule’s heat shield holds up. During the only other Orion test flight to the moon — in 2022 without a crew — the heat shield suffered considerably more damage than expected from the 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius) of reentry.

Instead of replacing Artemis II’s heat shield, which would have forced another lengthy delay, NASA tweaked the capsule’s descent through the atmosphere to reduce the blisteringly hot exposure. Next year’s Artemis III and beyond will fly with redesigned heat shields.

Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV in 2028 will attempt to land two astronauts near the moon’s south pole, setting the stage for what NASA hopes will be a sustainable lunar base.

NASA officials have been loath to provide their risk assessment numbers for the nearly 10-day mission, acknowledging launch and entry as the biggest threats.

“We’re down to the wire now,” said NASA’s Lakiesha Hawkins. “We’re down to the end of the mission, and obviously getting the crew back home and getting them landed safely, is a significant part of the risk that’s still in front of us.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Thousands of trees will be replanted along the A14, after an MP branded the state of the road as a “real mess”. In 2021, a council report revealed that nearly one million trees had died after being planted as part of upgrade works on the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

National Highways admitted a “high failure rate” in 2023, and said it planned to replant 160,000 new trees by March 2024. During a debate in parliament on March 26, 2026, MP for Huntingdon Ben Obese-Jecty slammed the road as a “real mess”.

He added: “The land has simply not been maintained after the environmental land-management schemes were put in place, so it is reassuring to hear that the trees will be replaced.” Simon Lightwood, MP for Wakefield and Rothwell, also said it was an “absolute scandal” that around “90% of trees died at that particular scheme”.

National Highways has once again admitted it has “not been good enough”, and that it has plans to replant 50,000 trees. A spokesperson said: “The A14 scheme delivered major economic, safety and environmental benefits, but we recognise that our performance on tree planting has not been good enough.

“After identifying losses caused by several factors, including rootstock selection, weather conditions, soil nutrient levels and aftercare, we have launched a 50,000 tree trial to test new measures and inform our future planting regime for all our schemes.”

In January of this year, CambridgeshireLive submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request to National Highways about the trees. The FOI asked how many trees had been replanted along the A14 to replace the dead trees, as well as to provide a map of the replanted trees.

It also asked National Highways to provide the cost of the replanting to date. The FOI response confirmed that 165,000 trees were initially replanted to replace the dead trees.

However, National Highways couldn’t provide a map of the replanted trees or the cost of replanting as it “didn’t hold this information”. The FOI response added that the cost of replanting couldn’t be provided as it couldn’t be separated from other landscaping and maintenance costs.

Donald Trump has tangled himself in an almighty rift with God’s representative on Earth – The Pope.

Upon hearing of the death of Pope Francis, the President told reporters, ‘I’d like to be pope. That would be my No.1 choice.’

Instead, American-born Pope Leo XIV now occupies the Chair of St Peter. Despite this, and amid the Iran war, relations between Washington and the Vatican appear to be reaching a breaking point.

Trump, who also said only his own ‘morality’ can stop him, has still constantly been looking to the Vatican for its approval for his designs on the world.

A fired-up member of Team Trump dredged up a 700-year-old threat to Pope Leo after called the President’s promise to wipe out Iranian civilisation ‘truly unacceptable’.

One Vatican official told The Free Press, that Cardinal Christophe Pierre – Pope Leo XIV’s ambassador to the United States was summoned to a secret meeting at the Pentagon in January.

There Under Secretary of War for Policy, Elbridge Colby, delivered to the Cardinal what was described ‘as a lecture’.

Colby and his team told him America has the military power to do whatever it wants in the world. And the Catholic Church had better fall in line.

At the fiery meeting, one US official reportedly invoked the Avignon Papacy, where the French pope fled violence in Rome to take up residency in Côte d’Azur in the 14th Century.

Other nations denigrated the move as the ‘Babylonian Captivity’, damaging the prestige and supposed independence of the papacy.

The move led to the Great Western Schism where three rival Popes vied for power nearly causing the downfall of the Catholic Church.

The fallout of the disastrous meeting led the Vatican to cancel a planned trip to the US on Independence Day.

But the Pope doesn’t seem to have been particularly bothered by the furore and was recently pictured spinning a basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters.

In a move that will infuriate the White House further, Leo urged people to contact their political leaders and congressional representatives to ask them, tell them to work for peace and to reject war.’

‘We have a worldwide economic crisis, an energy crisis, (a) situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world,’ he said.

He said the message to political leaders should be: ‘Come back to the table, let’s talk, let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way and let’s remember especially the innocent children, the elderly, sick, so many people who have already become or will become victims of this continued warfare.’

The Vatican also fears that the Iran conflict has spread to south Lebanon, threatening Christians who are an important protector of the church in the Middle East.

Trump’s team have been desperate for a visit from America’s first Pope, but he has now reportedly snubbed his invitation to attend the nation’s 250th anniversary events.

Instead of spending July 4th in his homeland, the Pope will visit Lampedusa, a small Mediterranean island that has become an entry point for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.

When contacted, the War Department sought to downplay reports of the rift.

‘The Free Press’s characterisation of the meeting is highly exaggerated and distorted. The meeting between Pentagon and Vatican officials was a respectful and reasonable discussion.

‘We have nothing but the highest regard and welcome continued dialogue with the Holy See,’ a War Department official said.

But the Vatican could hand Donald Trump another bloody nose by meeting with Barack Obama – who recently was giddy on a podcast, insisting the only person he would like to meet on Planet Earth is Pope Leo, without hesitation.

And with the Pope’s term in office usually only ending in death, and Trump’s calls for a third term, so far, denied – there can only be one winner on the international stage.

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