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US President Donald Trump has announced that countries supplying Iran with military weapons will face immediate 50% tariffs on all goods sold to the United States, with no exemptions. This move comes hours after Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Tehran.In a social media post, Trump stated that 'A Country supplying Military Weapons to Iran will be immediately tariffed, on any and all goods sold to the United States of America, 50%, effective immediately. There will be no exclusions or exemptions!'However, experts have raised questions about the legal authority behind Trump's announcement, as the Supreme Court struck down his use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose broad global tariffs in February. The IEEPA has been used extensively for decades to back financial sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea.Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told Al Jazeera that 'it's a lot more complicated to do that after IEEPA was struck down. There's no immediate policy lever and authorisation that is available for the US to do that. So they need either an act of Congress or need to adapt some other trade tool.'Trump did not specify which countries could face punitive tariffs, but China and Russia have helped Iran build military capacity to counter US and Israeli pressure. The US imports from Russia have fallen sharply since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the wave of financial sanctions imposed on Moscow.Josh Lipsky, vice president and chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council, said that 'this is a China-related threat, the way I read it. And China will read it that way.' However, he also noted that Trump was unlikely to follow through with new tariffs in the near term because that would derail his planned trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in mid-May.

As the cost of living crisis continues to bite, finding ways to lower your grocery bill has become more important than ever. Retail workers are sharing their insider knowledge on how to save money at supermarkets, street markets, and charity shops.Be Savvy About Store DiscountsMany supermarkets offer yellow-stickered items that are reduced in price due to nearing their expiration dates. These discounts can be significant, with reductions of up to 75% off. Alasdair Baker, who runs The Penny Pincher, advises shopping for these items in the late afternoon or early evening when the biggest reductions are typically applied.View image in fullscreenTiming matters … you’ll find the biggest reductions on yellow-sticker items in the late afternoon and early evening. Be AppySome grocery stores use apps such as Too Good To Go and Olio to offer discounts or free food to avoid food waste – but it can be a gamble as to what you get.Use Common SenseIf you buy something reduced on the day it is expiring, that doesn’t mean you need to eat it that day. There is a difference between “best before” dates, which are about food quality and the more important “use by” dates, which are about food safety.Be Cautious About ‘Bogof’ Deals“There aren’t as many buy one, get one free [bogof] deals now, because of new rules that came into place last year,” says Baker. These restrict promotions of products high in fat, sugar or salt.Avoid Big BrandsThe ends of supermarket aisles often feature big brands, says Baker. “They are not placed there randomly: the companies pay an awful lot of money. The idea is to try to coax people into buying those products more often.”Sign Up for a Store Card“It’s sad that we now have to essentially sell our data to the supermarkets in exchange for affordability – but such is life in 2026,” says Jenny Rogers. “If you have a store card, it is also worth getting the supermarket app, as a lot of stores will give you one or two personalised offers a week, or periodic free delivery for members.

In the Dutch town of Veldhoven, social‑housing operator Woonstichting ’thuis has installed the first of its “rain fences” – garden fences that double as rain‑water storage units.Homeowners Theo and Willy Bolder report that the fence’s linked plastic blocks can retain up to 2,160 litres of water, lowering the load on municipal drains during intense rainstorms and supplying the garden when summer droughts hit."The rain is getting heavier and heavier nowadays, and if you have a cloudburst the drainage isn’t good and it comes up through the toilet," Willy explained, highlighting the growing problem of surface runoff in a country where average temperatures have risen by 1 °C since 2000 and cities are about 5 °C warmer than surrounding rural areas (KNMI data).Recent climate events underscore the urgency: the 2021 Limburg floods saw more than 15 cm of rain fall in 48 hours, causing the River Geul to burst its banks, while the historic 1953 North Sea flood claimed at least 1,800 lives and spurred the iconic Delta Works.Deputy mayor Rik Thijs of nearby Eindhoven stresses that traditional sewage capacity cannot keep pace with these extremes. "We need to capture as much as possible on the surface," he said, pointing to complementary measures such as resurfacing the old Gender river, creating wadi pools, and installing green roofs.The rain‑fence concept was developed by Harry den Hartigh of SunnyRain Solutions, whose personal connection to the 1953 disaster in Zeeland inspired a design that merges functionality with aesthetics: a fence that stores water while enhancing the garden’s look.Academic Jannes Willems, an urban‑planning professor at the University of Amsterdam, notes that simple, scalable solutions like rain‑water harvesting can offset the Netherlands’ “water‑shortage” concerns during hot summers, especially as the national water system was originally built to discharge water as quickly as possible.For property managers, the benefits extend beyond environmental stewardship. Matthijs Hulsbosch, sustainability manager at Woonstichting ’thuis, says the fences help protect the complex’s 11,000 homes from water‑related damage, potentially saving significant repair costs and reducing tenant inconvenience.Neighbourhood manager David Hearn adds that the pilot also improves community relations, turning a simple fence into a shared asset that residents are eager to adopt.

The crew of Artemis II is preparing to return to Earth on Friday, following their historic 10-day lunar flyby mission. Nasa leaders have outlined the critical steps needed to ensure a safe splashdown off the coast of San Diego. The Orion capsule will travel at nearly 24,000mph before making a final splashdown several miles off the coast of San Diego. The operation requires multiple teams and careful coordination to safely extract the crew from the spacecraft. Nasa's associate administrator Amit Kshatriya emphasized the importance of the mission, stating, "To every engineer, every technician that's touched this machine, tomorrow belongs to you. The crew has done their part. Now we have to do ours." Jeff Radigan, lead flight director of the mission, highlighted the precision required for re-entry, noting the team has "less than a degree of an angle" to hit the correct flight path. "Let's not beat around the bush. We have to hit that angle correctly – otherwise we're not going to have a successful re-entry," he said. The splashdown is expected to occur at 5:07pm PT, with the USS John P Murtha ready to assist with recovery operations. The crew will undergo post-mission medical evaluations before being flown to Nasa's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Pilot Victor Glover, the first Black man to travel beyond low Earth orbit, reflected on the journey, saying, "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."

Lidl announced a major expansion in the United Kingdom, pledging to open 50 new stores over the next twelve months. The rollout is part of a broader strategy to become the country’s fifth‑largest supermarket, challenging Morrisons for that slot. In a unique move, the German‑owned retailer is also constructing its first pub in east Belfast. Local licensing rules require supermarkets to acquire a licence surrendered by an existing premises, and Lidl failed the standard off‑licence test but succeeded for a pub after two nearby bars closed. The venue, set to seat about 60 patrons, will open this summer and will feature a curated selection of Lidl‑branded beers, wines, spirits and other drinks, with a focus on supporting local suppliers. Lidl GB, which already operates more than 1,000 stores across Britain, said it will invest **over £600 million** in the UK expansion. The capital injection is expected to generate **almost 2,000 jobs** as the company enlarges its warehouse and logistics network to service the new outlets. Among the first locations slated for summer openings are Abbots Langley (near Watford), Warrington in Cheshire, and Thornbury in Gloucestershire. The company reported 50 store openings planned for the coming year, up from 40 in the previous twelve‑month period, and expects **no closures** during this time. Market data shows Lidl now matches Morrisons with an **8.3% share** of the UK grocery market, achieving the fastest growth among physical grocers. In the three months to 22 March, Lidl’s sales rose **9.6%**, outpacing Morrisons’ modest **2.3%** increase, which lagged behind inflation. Over the year to February 2025, Lidl’s UK sales climbed **8.3% to £11.7 billion**, while profits more than doubled to **£156.8 million** and employee numbers rose to **11,422**. Chief Executive Ryan McDonnell emphasized the broader impact, stating, “Our expansion translates directly into high‑quality jobs and gives British suppliers the certainty they need to invest in the future.” The move has also drawn praise from Kate Dearden, the minister for employment rights and consumer protection, who highlighted the importance of such investment for community standards and fair wages. While Lidl and rival Aldi have surged ahead by offering low‑price alternatives amid a cost‑of‑living crunch, traditional giants Tesco and Sainsbury’s are responding with enhanced loyalty programmes and price‑competitive ranges to retain market share.

Matthew Macfadyen headlines the new Sky Atlantic series ‘The Miniature Wife’, playing scientist Les Littlejohn, a brilliant but ethically dubious researcher who accidentally shrinks his wife Lindy (Elizabeth Banks) to six inches tall. The premise promises a darkly comic exploration of marital power dynamics and modern misogyny. However, the show quickly abandons this fertile ground. Showrunners Jennifer Ames and Steve Turner opt for a frenetic, screwball tone that feels forced, leaving the underlying commentary underdeveloped. The central conceit – a miniature wife trapped in a dollhouse – is treated more as a visual gag than a vehicle for satire. The series is littered with side plots that never coalesce. A subplot about a misattributed short story attempts to touch on authorship and truth in the digital age, yet it remains a superficial gesture. Likewise, the ensemble cast—including Zoe Lister‑Jones as a lab overseer, O‑T Fagbenle as a lovelorn colleague, and Sian Clifford as Lindy’s agent—offers colorful moments but fails to achieve narrative momentum. Visually, the production delivers inventive set pieces: Lindy’s daring escapes from towering household objects and explosive laboratory experiments provide occasional laughs. Nevertheless, the novelty wears thin before the series’ nearly ten‑hour runtime concludes. The original short story by Manuel Gonzales required far more expansion than the show supplies, resulting in a stretched‑out narrative that would have benefited from a tighter format. In short, while Macfadyen’s performance is competent, it is largely wasted in a series that promises depth but delivers only scattered comedy. ‘The Miniature Wife’ may satisfy viewers seeking light‑hearted antics, but it falls short of the incisive satire its premise suggests. The series is available on Sky Atlantic, streaming on Now in the UK and on Stan in Australia.

A 47‑year‑old woman who had endured three life‑threatening autoimmune diseases for more than a decade is now living a near‑normal life after an experimental CAR‑T cell therapy reset her immune system at University Hospital Erlangen in Germany.Before the procedure she had exhausted nine different treatments with no lasting benefit, relying on daily blood transfusions and continuous anticoagulation to manage her illnesses.Within weeks of the infusion, doctors observed rapid improvement in all three conditions—a world‑first outcome. She has remained in treatment‑free remission for 14 months and has largely returned to everyday activities.Prof Fabian Müller, who led the team, called the speed and depth of the response “remarkable” and said the therapy “significantly improved her quality of life.” He emphasized that clinical trials are required to determine how durable the effect is and whether it can help other autoimmune patients.The patient suffered from three distinct disorders: autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA), where rogue immune cells destroy red blood cells; immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), which depletes platelets and raises bleeding risk; and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), which promotes dangerous blood clots. All three stem from malfunctioning B‑cells.With no conventional options left, doctors turned to CAR‑T therapy, a technique that has revolutionised treatment for certain cancers. They harvested her white‑blood cells, isolated the T‑cells, engineered them to recognise the CD19 protein on B‑cells, and reinfused the modified cells.The engineered T‑cells swiftly eliminated the pathogenic B‑cells. She received her last blood transfusion a week after treatment and was able to perform routine tasks within two weeks. Follow‑up tests showed a reconstituted, healthy B‑cell population, suggesting an immune reset. The findings were published in the journal Med.She still exhibits a mildly low white‑cell count and slightly elevated liver enzymes, which researchers attribute to the cumulative impact of prior therapies rather than the CAR‑T product.Rheumatology expert Prof Ben Parker of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust described the case as encouraging, noting that “the prolonged response off normal therapy suggests there has been an immune reset.” However, he warned that case reports alone cannot confirm efficacy and highlighted ongoing trials for lupus, myositis, multiple sclerosis, systemic sclerosis, vasculitis, and other autoimmune conditions.

Oil tanker workers stuck in the Gulf for six weeks are reaching their limit, with mental health concerns escalating due to the prolonged standoff. A crew member, who spoke to the Guardian, revealed that the situation is becoming increasingly unbearable.The worker, one of 20,000 seafarers trapped by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, expressed frustration and despair, stating that any hope of being freed had evaporated. The crew member's tanker is anchored near dozens of loaded tankers, with many feeling unwilling and unable to traverse the strait, even if a ceasefire allowed them to do so.90% of the crew on the tanker want to exercise their right to refuse to sail, citing safety concerns. The situation has taken a toll on the crew's mental health, with one member suffering a 'mental breakdown' and being checked on regularly by colleagues.The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has received about 1,000 inquiries from seafarers on 300 different vessels, with 20% seeking repatriation. The union and other organizations are trying to provide support, but the situation remains dire.The shipping companies are expected to find new crew members willing to work in hazardous areas, offering double pay and promotions. However, the workers stuck on the tankers hope that their vessel will be taken to anchorage to allow new crew to take their places.The situation has reignited calls for shipowners to replace their crews with mariners willing to offer relief, highlighting the human cost of the conflict.

The UK government's spending on foreign aid has hit its lowest level in nearly two decades, with provisional data showing 0.43% of national income allocated to official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, down from 0.5% in 2024 and matching the level in 2008. The total ODA spend in 2025 was just over £13bn, an annual decrease of £1bn, or 7.4%. This decline has raised alarms among humanitarian experts, who warn that the cuts are having severe consequences, particularly for marginalized communities across Africa. Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy and advocacy at Bond, emphasized that life-saving humanitarian programs, including education provision in Syria and healthcare programs across Africa, have already been forced to close. He warned that with even deeper cuts expected, the worst consequences are yet to be realized. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) noted that a projected 9% to 17% drop of ODA among its members in 2025 would hit the poorest countries hardest. The UK's reduction in aid spending has been criticized by campaigners and aid organizers, who argue it will cause widespread damage and weaken the UK's influence overseas. In response, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stated that national security is the government's first duty and that the decision to reduce ODA spending to 0.3% of GNI by 2027 was necessary to fund an increase in defense spending. However, they emphasized that the UK remains committed to safeguarding standards and protecting women and girls.