The parliament, sitting for the first time since the coup, is filled with his loyalists. With the armed forces guaranteed one quarter of the seats, and the military’s own party, the USDP, winning nearly 80% of the remaining seats in an election which was tilted heavily in its favour, this was a preordained outcome. More of a coronation, than an election.

A man in his 30s and young girl died after a collision involving a tipper truck and pony and trap on the A228 in East Peckham near Tonbridge

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A young girl and a man in his 30s have died following a horrific crash involving a tipper truck and a pony on a busy road.

The devastating collision occurred in East Peckham near Tonbridge on Wednesday, 1 April, on the A228 Boyle Way, between the junctions of Branbridges Road and Hale Street.

According to police, a white DAF tipper truck was travelling along the southbound carriageway when it collided with a pony and trap moving in the same direction — the pony also died at the scene.

Officers, South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Fire and Rescue Service all attended the scene, where a man in his 30s, who had been riding in the trap, was pronounced dead.

A woman and a young girl who had also been travelling in the trap were rushed to hospital. The young girl was sadly pronounced dead upon arrival, while the woman remains in a critical condition.

The driver of the tipper truck, a 29 year old man from Kent, was arrested in connection with the incident and taken into custody.

Kent Police are now appealing for witnesses and any dashcam footage as investigators work to establish the full circumstances of the crash.

A spokesperson for Kent Police said: “An investigation into the circumstances is underway and witnesses or anyone who saw the truck or pony and trap prior to the collision, is urged to contact the appeal line.

“Call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 01622 798538, quoting reference BN/JG/027/26.” “Alternatively email sciu.td@kent.police.uk. Dashcam footage can be uploaded here. “

This is the text from The Conversation UK’s World Affairs Briefing email. Sign up here to receive weekly analysis of the latest developments in international relations, direct to your inbox.

Anybody who tuned in to Donald Trump’s prime-time speech to the American people last night hoping to hear that he plans an end to the US attacks on Iran and will focus instead on reaching an agreement over opening up the Strait of Hormuz would have been bitterly disappointed. I know I was.

Instead of a strategy to restore the vital flow of oil and gas through the strait – something which would have immediately calmed the markets and started to bring down energy prices – the US president opted for a familiar mix of revisionism, self-aggrandisement and bloodcurdling threats.

So we heard that it was never his intention to force regime change in Iran (despite having said exactly that on day one of the special military operation). We had the miraculous achievements of his administration over the past year which had restored “a dead and crippled country after the last administration” to what is now “the hottest country anywhere in the world by far”.

And instead of seeking a deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, Trump promised to “hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages, where they belong.”

Along the way, the US president took a potshot at America’s Nato allies who have been reluctant to get involved in this war, exhorting them to “build up some delayed courage. Should have done it before. Should have done it with us as we asked.”

In the event, Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte and many of Nato’s European leaders will probably feel as if they have got off lightly. Trump and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, have been outspoken in their criticism of Nato in recent days. Rubio told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the US would “reexamine the value of Nato”, while the president, when asked if the US was reconsidering its Nato membership, said the question was “beyond reconsideration”, adding that the alliance is a “paper tiger, and Putin knows that too, by the way.”

Trump is not the first US president to question the operation of Nato and worry about the outsized burden borne by the US. But none before has done so much to publicly undermine the alliance. But then, as Andrew Gawthorpe explains, Nato’s focus on European security has been a huge benefit to the US over the decades. Gawthorpe, an expert in American foreign policy at Leiden University, presents us with a cost-benefit analysis of US leadership of Nato, spelling out the many advantages which he says “generations of American strategists, military officers and diplomats have viewed as worthwhile”.

It’s not as if the US-Israeli military operation in Iran is a matter for Nato in any case, writes David Galbreath. Nato is a defensive alliance. Article 5 of its founding treaty holds “an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against all members, and triggers an obligation for each member to come to its assistance”. This is clearly not the case in Iran.

To be sure, as Galbreath notes, Nato’s focus has shifted at times over the years. From aiming purely at collective defence – defined as coming to the aid of a fellow member whose territory is threatened by a third party – at times Nato has intervened in issues of regional security, most notably in the 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia.

But an individual member’s foreign policy adventures have never mandated nato’s involvement: indeed the US actively opposed the UK and France during the Suez crisis in 1956 and in turn UK minister, Harold Wilson, resisted pressure from US president Lyndon Baines Johnson to get involved in the US war in Vietnam. It would, Galbreath concludes, be tragic if – having weathered these storms – Nato falls apart over this war of questionable legality.

À lire aussi :
Nato has survived some serious rifts but the Iran war shows how the US has soured on the transatlantic alliance

Israel’s forever war?

Not just questionable legality, either. After the US president’s speech last night the world is no wiser as to how long this might continue. But Trump’s enthusiasm for Operation Epic Fury will, to an extent, be calibrated by how he and his close advisers judge it might affect his party’s chances in the midterm elections in November. High gasoline prices and inflation (as well as continuing entanglement in a war – something he pledged not to do on the campaign trail in 2024) are likely to lose him votes.

For Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the calculation will be different. He also faces an election in the autumn. But when Israelis cast their ballots on October 27, they’ll be voting on different issues. Netanyhu’s appeal to voters on security grounds is a potent one. There’s a clock in Tehran which counts down to 2040 by which time the late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei swore Israel would no longer exist.

A leader who could neutralise that threat for good could use that accomplishment to good purposes on the campaign trail, whether or not his methods are deemed legal in international law.

Leonie Fleischmann, a scholar of Israeli politics at City St George’s, University of London, has researched Israeli security policy over decades, particularly when it comes to the way it has been enacted by Netanyahu. The current prime minister, she writes, is a disciple of the founder of Revisionist Zionism, Ze’ev Jabotinsky. For Jabotinsky, the watchword was “strength first, diplomacy second”.

But, Fleischmann notes, there is an important secondary concern for Netanyahu beyond the security of his people. That is that at present the polls suggest that while his party might be the most popular with voters, the support is not enough to enable him to form a coalition government. And if he loses, Netanyahu could face trial for bribery and corruption and a possible jail term. So arguably, his security is at stake, too.

À lire aussi :
Why Benjamin Netanyahu needs the Iran conflict to continue

On the Russian front

There’s a bizarre twist to the US-Israeli operation in Iran. In the initial years of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Moscow was relying heavily on Shahed drones supplied by Iran. Now Russia is returning the favour, supplying its drones to Iran and – as a bonus – providing data to help Iran identify and hit its targets.

Meanwhile Kyiv is understandably increasingly concerned that US involvement in the Middle East has inevitably meant that US munitions previously available for purchase by Ukraine’s allies are instead being used against Iran. If so – and it seems a reasonable assumption – it will seriously undermine Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to control rising oil prices, the US has removed some sanctions preventing Russia from selling its oil. So the war in Iran has the potential to be an utter disaster for Ukraine.

The one silver lining towards the end of last year was that Russia was losing far more men on the battlefield than Ukraine. But Charlie Walker and Bettina Renz have been following Russia’s recruitment and write that good salaries and lavish signing on bonuses continue to attract plenty of new soldiers.

Walker and Renz believe that Vladimir Putin has worked hard in recent years to repair and enhance conditions in the Russian military, prompting the in-house newspaper of the defence ministry to trumpet that “contract soldiers are becoming the country’s middle class”. Needless to say, the in-house defence ministry newspaper is bound to take a rosy view of conditions in the military, but the confidence with which this has been asserted suggests that anyone hoping for a collapse in Russian military morale in 2026 might be disappointed.

À lire aussi :
Despite massive casualties in Ukraine, Russia is unlikely to run out of soldiers anytime soon – here’s why

Sign up to receive our weekly World Affairs Briefing newsletter from The Conversation UK. Every Thursday we’ll bring you expert analysis of the big stories in international relations.

North Yorkshire Police says it is investigating an assault involving a number of people in the village of Osgodby, near Scarborough last week.

It happened near Hunters Close at approximately 10pm on Saturday (March 28) and involved two victims who were injured after being attacked by a group of people.

RECOMMENDED READING:

“We are particularly interested in speaking to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or anyone who may have CCTV, doorbell or video footage of the area during this time,” said a spokesperson for the force.

If you have any information that could help the investigation, please email Holly.Millington@northyorkshire.police.uk, call North Yorkshire Police on 101 and ask for Holly Millington, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website.

Please quote reference 12260058143 when passing on information.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that could slap long-threatened pharmaceutical tariffs of up to 100% on some patented drugs from companies that don’t reach deals with his administration in the coming months.

Companies that have signed a “most favored nation” pricing deal and are actively building facilities in the U.S. to onshore production of patented pharmaceuticals and their ingredients will have a 0% tariff. For those that don’t have a pricing deal but are building such projects in the U.S., a 20% tariff will apply but will increase to 100% in four years.

A senior administration official told reporters on a press call that companies still have months to negotiate before the 100% tariffs kick in — 120 days for bigger companies, and 180 days for everyone else. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to preview the executive order before it was issued, did not identify any companies or drugs that were in jeopardy of getting hit with the increased tariffs but noted the administration had already reached 17 pricing deals with major drugmakers, 13 of which have signed.

In the order, Trump wrote that he deemed such actions necessary “to address the threatened impairment of the national security posed by imports of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients.” It arrived on the first anniversary of Trump’s so-called Liberation Day, when the president unveiled sweeping new import taxes on nearly every country in the world that sent the stock market reeling. Those “Liberation Day” tariffs were among the duties the Supreme Court overturned in February.

Some warned of consequences of the coming tariffs announced Thursday. Stephen J. Ubl, CEO of pharmaceutical company trade group PhRMA, said taxes “on cutting-edge medicines will increase costs and could jeopardize billions in U.S. investments.” He pointed to America’s already large footprint in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and noted medicines sourced from other countries “overwhelmingly come from reliable U.S. allies.”

Trump has launched a barrage of new import taxes on America’s trading partners since the start of his second term and repeatedly pledged that sky-high levies on foreign-made drugs were on the way. But the administration has also used the threat of new levies to strike deals with major companies — like Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Bristol Myers Squibb — over the last year, with promises of lower prices for new drugs.

Beyond company-specific rates, a handful of countries have reached trade frameworks with the U.S. to further cap tariffs on drugs sent to the U.S. The EU, Japan, Korea and Switzerland will see a 15% U.S. tariff on patented pharmaceuticals, matching previously agreed rates for most goods, and the U.K. will get 10% — which Thursday’s order noted would “then reduce to zero” under future trade agreements. The U.K. previously said it secured a 0% tariff rate for all British medicines exported to the U.S. for at least three years.

Trump also unveils update to metal tariffs

In addition Thursday, Trump rolled out an update on his 50% tariffs on imported steel, aluminum and copper. Starting Monday, tariff rates on those metals will be calculated based on the “full customs value” of what U.S. customers pay when buying foreign metal under the latest order, which the administration officials claimed will keep importers from other countries from escaping higher payments.

Products fully made of steel, aluminum and copper will continued to be tariffed at 50% for most countries. But the administration is also shifting how tariffs are calculated for derivative metals — or finished goods that contain some of these metals, but are not made entirely of them.

For a product with metal that amounts to less than 15% of its entire weight (like the cap on a perfume bottle) only country-specific tariffs will now apply, officials told reporters Thursday. But for products with more metal, such as a largely steel washing machine, they said a 25% tariff will apply to the whole value.

More sectoral taxes are piling up

Thursday’s orders reflect the latest example of Trump tapping into sectoral duties. The president used Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act to impose the levies, the same authority he cited to slap import taxes on cars, lumber and even kitchen cabinets. And many expect to see more product-specific import taxes down the road.

That’s because a ruling from the Supreme Court struck down tariffs Trump imposed using another law — the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act — to immediately slap tariffs on any country, at nearly any level.

While the Feb. 20 court decision marked a significant blow to Trump’s economic agenda, the president still has plenty of options to keep taxing imports aggressively. Beyond sectoral levies, Trump also imposed a 10% tariff on all imports under a separate legal power mere hours after the Supreme Court’s ruling, but that duty can only last for 150 days. Some two dozen states already challenged the new tariffs.

Trump has argued his steep new import taxes are necessary to bring back wealth that was “stolen” from the U.S. He says they will narrow America’s decades-old trade deficit and bring manufacturing back to the country. But Trump has also turned to tariffs amid personal grudges, or in response to political critics. And upending the global supply chain has proven costly for businesses and households that are already strained by rising prices.

A young girl and man in his 30s died after a collision involving a tipper truck and pony and trap on the A228 in East Peckham near Tonbridge, with a woman left in critical condition

A young girl and a man in his 30s have died following a horrific crash involving a tipper truck and a pony on a busy road.

The devastating collision occurred in East Peckham near Tonbridge on Wednesday, 1 April, on the A228 Boyle Way, between the junctions of Branbridges Road and Hale Street.

Police say a white DAF tipper truck was travelling along the southbound carriageway when it collided with a pony and trap heading in the same direction – the pony also tragically died at the scene.

Emergency services, including South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Fire and Rescue Service, rushed to the scene, where a man in his 30s, who had been riding in the trap, was pronounced dead.

A woman and young girl who had also been travelling in the trap were rushed to hospital, where the young girl was sadly pronounced dead. The woman remains in a critical condition.

The tipper truck driver, a 29 year old man from Kent, was arrested in connection with the incident and taken into custody.

Kent Police are now appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage to help establish the full circumstances of the tragedy.

A Kent Police spokesperson said: “An investigation into the circumstances is underway and witnesses or anyone who saw the truck or pony and trap prior to the collision, is urged to contact the appeal line.

“Call the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 01622 798538, quoting reference BN/JG/027/26.” “Alternatively email sciu.td@kent.police.uk. Dashcam footage can be uploaded here. “

One of the officers is believed to have suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries.

Two police officers have been taken to hospital after a crash in Cambridge. Cambridgeshire Police were called to Gilbert Road in Cambridge at around 8.55am on Thursday (April 2) with reports of a crash involving a police van and a car.

An officer suffered serious injuries that are believed not to be life-threatening. Another officer suffered minor injuries.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We were called at about 8.55am this morning (2 April) to Gilbert Road, Cambridge, to reports of a collision between a car and a police van.

“An officer suffered serious injuries believed not to be life-threatening while another officer suffered minor injuries. They were both taken to hospital.”

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One of Ireland’s most dangerous criminals has been arrested over the murder of gangster Robbie Lawlor.

The Irish Mirror has reported that detectives arrested the criminal known as Mr Big in Dublin on Thursday – on foot of an extradition request from the PSNI.

Sources told the outlet the PSNI want to charge the infamous Dubliner – who is a suspect for up to 16 killings – with the murder of Lawlor in April 2020.

Lawlor, 34, was gunned down in Ardoyne in north Belfast – but Gardaí and the PSNI suspect Mr Big ordered the hit from Dublin.

It’s understood investigators have evidence from a busted criminal communications network called Encrochat that they believe showed Mr Big was centrally involved in the Lawlor murder – and he is now to face a murder charge if, as expected, the High Court in Dublin rubber stamps his extradition.

The Dubliner is due to appear in the High Court on Friday.

Gardaí confirmed his arrest in a statement on Thursday. They also said they had been involved in a joint investigation with the PSNI over the murder.

The force said: “The Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) of An Garda Síochána has been involved in a joint investigation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland into the murder of Robbie Lawlor on 4th April 2020.

“This afternoon, Thursday 2nd April 2026, investigating Gardaí from the GNBCI arrested a male (aged in his 40s) in Dublin on foot of a Trade and Cooperation Agreement extradition warrant to extradite the male to Northern Ireland to be charged in connection with the investigation.

“The male is currently detained at a Garda station in the Dublin region and will appear before the High Court at the Four Courts, Dublin 7 tomorrow, Friday 3rd April 2026, at 10:30am.

“An Garda Síochána has no further comment.”

The PSNI also issued a statement, saying: “A man in his 40s has been arrested in the Dublin region today, Thursday 2 April, on suspicion of the murder of Robbie Lawlor.

“The man was arrested by An Garda Síochána and is due to appear before the High Court at the Four Courts, Dublin 7, tomorrow Friday 3rd April 2026 at 10.30am.”Robbie Lawlor was shot dead outside a house in Etna Drive in North Belfast on 4 April 2020.”

Although the Lawlor killing happened in north Belfast’s Etna Drive, investigators believe it was organised and ordered from Dublin. Investigators believe Mr Big sanctioned the murder of Lawlor because he feared the Dubliner was planning to kill him as part of the Drogheda feud.

Lawlor was a suspect in the horror murder of teenager Keane Mulready-Woods in the Co Louth town in January 2020 as part of that feud – and Mr Big was linked to the opposing side.

He feared Lawlor was planning to kill him – and decided to strike first.

Officers also believe the crime Godfather had it in for Lawlor since he murdered associate Kenneth Finn, 36, in north Dublin in February 2018.

Two men have already been charged with the murder of Lawlor after a PSNI investigation north of the border, but last year officers teamed up with Gardaí to mount a joint operation that saw the series of searches in the Republic.

A house connected to Mr Big was one of 12 properties searched in that operation – in which Gardaí seized phones and other electronic equipment.

Sources say last year’s operation was linked to the Encrochat affair – when French police broke the encrypted phone service used by criminals all over the world.

Data from Encrochat phones have been used in dozens of trials in the United Kingdom – but sources say Gardaí used their treasure trove of information as intelligence.

Mr Big, who is heavily involved in drugs, tiger kidnapping and other serious crime, has long been a major target of Gardaí.

But officers have never been able to land a knockout punch against the Dubliner – despite him being charged with at least one serious charge.

His gang is in the frame for a string of murders, including dissident republican brothers Alan and Vincent Ryan, as well as Lawlor.

Gardaí also believe Mr Big is setting up his own cocaine smuggling network by sourcing cocaine directly from South America.

Sources say Gardaí who have been monitoring Mr Big believe he is one of the most intelligent and ruthless gangsters in Irish criminal history.

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

Pregnant teachers have been forced to be sick in a bucket in a classroom cupboard or use a radio to request cover to go to the toilet amid inflexible rules in schools, a survey shows

Pregnant teachers have been forced to be sick in a bucket in a classroom cupboard or use a radio to request cover to go to the toilet amid inflexible rules in schools, a survey shows.

The findings come from a grim study by teachers’ union NASUWT which lays bare the struggles of being a teacher and a parent.

Some 95% of teachers find it difficult to balance their work responsibilities with being a parent and 70% of teachers have seriously considered leaving the teaching profession because of the impact of work on their children, the poll found.

When it comes to having a baby, more than a quarter (28%) of those who experienced pregnancy-related illness felt pressured into returning to work before they were well enough to do so.

READ MORE: Parents told impact of kids’ behaviour on lessons – as private schools perform better

The union’s poll also found some 85% of teachers who were off with pregnancy-related illness said they were asked to set work for their classes or plan lessons while they were off work. Just over a fifth (21%) were asked to mark work and just over a quarter (27%) were asked to write reports.

More than half of teachers (51%) felt their employer had not adequately assessed and addressed any workplace-related risks associated with their pregnancy.

One teacher told the survey: “For my second pregnancy, a risk assessment wasn’t even completed. I also suffered with quite bad sickness and asked if something could be put in place if I needed to leave class to be sick, I was told ‘no’. There was a couple of occasions I used a bucket in the cupboard in the classroom.”

Another said: “I was given a walkie-talkie to call for cover when I needed the toilet.”

More than three-quarters (77%) of teachers added that they would have liked to take more time off for maternity, paternity or adoption leave.

NASUWT also warned teachers who are parents are struggling to get time off work to attend their kids’ assemblies or look after them if they’re ill. Some 86% of respondents felt that they had regularly missed out on important times with their children due to their work commitments.

Some 82% of teachers said their job got in the way of looking after their children when they are ill, while just over three-quarters (77%) said it was a barrier to them attending their child’s school assemblies.

One teacher told the survey: “It is extremely difficult, to the point that the job feels incompatible with being a parent. There is no real support for teacher-parents.”

Another said: “My saddest day as a parent was when I came downstairs one morning to find my six-year-old had written a card asking me to please come to her assembly as he was the lead in it. I could not go as the Head was unapproachable and I was expected to put my school children first.”

Matt Wrack, NASUWT General Secretary, said: “The pitiful levels of maternity pay, parental leave and flexible working opportunities within teaching are a national scandal.

“The rigidity of working structures in many schools, coupled with uncompetitive parental rights and high levels of workload are driving out talented teachers from the profession.”

::: NASUWT surveyed 2,164 teachers last November and December.

Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the blaze earlier today (Thursday).

The shop supports Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary which was set up 17 years ago and takes in close to 3000 rescues a year with a team of over 170 dedicated volunteers.

Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the fire (Image: Social Media)

Posting on social media, a spokesperson for the shop said: “As many of you will have seen on social media already, we wanted to update our community following a fire at our shop on Flowergate today.

“The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault and, although it was dealt with very quickly by the fire service, there has been significant smoke damage throughout the shop.

“The most important thing is that no one was hurt, and we are incredibly grateful for the quick response from the fire service and the actions taken at the time.”

They added: “Unfortunately, the impact of the damage means the shop will be closed until further notice and we are currently unable to accept donations of items for the charity shop.

Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following a fire (Image: Social media)

“A large amount of stock has been affected and cannot be sold and some items, including electrical goods, must be removed and disposed of for safety reasons

“We are now working with our landlord and inspectors and must complete a number of safety checks before we can reopen.

To make things more challenging, there has also been a delay to our planned storage cabin space for the shop and online sales, which means we currently have very limited capacity for sorting and storage while we recover.

Whitby Wildlife Charity Shop will be shut until further notice following the blaze earlier today (Thursday).

“As a charity, this is a very difficult time for us. The shop plays a vital role in supporting the wildlife we care for, and being closed means a loss of important income.”

They said the charity was in now urgent need of prizes due to an event coming up.

” There were 100s of prizes stored in the shop, so we are in need of prizes such as toiletries, plushies, new and sealed edibles and drinkables, unwanted gifts etc.

People can also help by making a donatoin at https://gofund.me/30d15e2cf, support online sales where possible. FB Group: ‘Whitby wildlife Online Sales & Auctions’

They added: “Your support truly means everything to us and to the animals we help every day 🦉💚

Thank you for your kindness, patience, and ongoing support — we’ll keep you updated as we work towards reopening.”