All posts tagged: Shield

Laws shouldn’t be used to shield religious sensitivities

Laws shouldn’t be used to shield religious sensitivities

A man who tore out pages from a Quran and set them alight was convicted this week after pleading guilty to a single charge of racially or religiously aggravated intentional harassment or alarm. Martin Frost’s protest was a low key, mundane and somewhat lamentable affair. The 47-year-old was filmed holding a flag of Israel before tearing out pages of the text and setting fire to it. He was apparently demonstrating solidarity with Salwan Momika, an Iraqi Christian refugee who was shot dead last week after burning Qurans in Sweden during public demonstrations in 2023. The ‘victim’ of Frost’s protest was Fahad Iqbal. In his victim impact statement, Iqbal said: “I was quite shocked, disgusted and offended. I’m a Muslim. I still can’t believe someone would do this. When he began to burn the Quran, my heart was about to break out. This is the most emotion I have ever felt.” Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Frost had publicised the event online beforehand, and that it was streamed on social media. The “trigger” for his actions …

Ethiopian Shield Pillaged by British to Be Repatriated

Ethiopian Shield Pillaged by British to Be Repatriated

To receive Morning Links in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter. The Headlines MAQDALA SHIELD REPATRIATION. A 19th-century Maqdala shield pillaged in Ethiopia during the 1868 Battle of Maqdala will be repatriated in November, and displayed at the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, reports The Art Newspaper. The Ethiopian government identified the shield as a British army-looted treasure after seeing it come up in an auction, and requested it be restituted from the UK. After a short loan for an exhibit at Ohio’s Toledo Museum of Art ending this month, that is precisely what will happen. The shield “is a symbol of Ethiopia’s history and resilience,” said Ermias Sahle Selassi, grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie and founder of the Royal Ethiopian Trust that negotiated the restitution. During the same 1868 battle, the British army helped themselves to other Ethiopian treasures which remain in UK museums, including ceremonial objects considered holy and weapons, though some have been returned in recent years. Related Articles LEBANON HERITAGE SITES AT RISK. Lebanon’s culture minister has warned that …

Manchester City lift the Community Shield and the EFL kicks off: Football Weekly – podcast | Football

Manchester City lift the Community Shield and the EFL kicks off: Football Weekly – podcast | Football

Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email. On the podcast today: Manchester City win the Community Shield on penalties, Jonny Evans missing the decisive one. Surely he’s not a player Manchester United fans are expecting to see much more of this season? And will City fans see more Oscar Bobb, Savinho and Nico O’Reilly? Elsewhere, Chelsea have signed Pedro Neto from Wolves, but will he make them any better? Dominic Solanke moves to Spurs and Aaron Wan-Bissaka heads for West Ham. Plus: the Football League season kicks off (badly for Wayne Rooney) and your questions are answered. Support the Guardian here. You can now also find Football Weekly on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Photograph: Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images Support The Guardian The Guardian is editorially independent. And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all. But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work. Support The Guardian Source link

UK in talks to join Europe’s Sky Shield aerial defence system | Politics | News

UK in talks to join Europe’s Sky Shield aerial defence system | Politics | News

Britain is in talks with Europe to join its new Sky Shield air defence system, Grant Shapps has said. There are currently 21 countries – including the traditionally neutral Switzerland – signed up to the European Sky Shield Initiative. Shapps says the UK is working with allies in the EU “on what a Sky Shield may look like,” reports The Sun. The Defence Secretary also said there would be a ship-building boom to help the Royal Navy. The Sky Sheild system would see missilies, such as the Patriots used in the United States or the Arrow-3s deployed in Israel, used on UK soil if needed. Shapps has reportedly resisted calls from MPs to buy Israel’s Iron Dome technology, instead saying the European Sky Shield talks were in the “early stages”. The Sky Shield Iniative was proposed by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz after Vladimir Putin launched missiles on Ukrainian infrastructure in 2022. When asked how he planned to spend the £75billion pledged for the defence budget between now and 2030, Shapps told the Sun he would …

Missouri House Backs Legal Shield for Weedkiller Maker Facing Thousands of Cancer-Related Lawsuits

Missouri House Backs Legal Shield for Weedkiller Maker Facing Thousands of Cancer-Related Lawsuits

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The manufacturer of a popular weedkiller won support Wednesday from the Missouri House for a proposal that could shield it from costly lawsuits alleging it failed to warn customers its product could cause cancer. The House vote marked an important but incremental victory for chemical giant Bayer, which acquired an avalanche of legal claims involving the weedkiller Roundup when it bought the product’s original St. Louis-area-based producer, Monsanto. The legislation now heads to the Missouri Senate with several weeks remaining in the annual legislative session. Bayer pursued similar legislation this year in Idaho and Iowa, where it has mining and manufacturing facilities, but it fell short in both states. Bayer disputes claims that Roundup’s key ingredient, glyphosate, causes a cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But it has set aside $16 billion and already paid about $10 billion of that amount to resolve some of the tens of thousands of legal claims against it. Though some studies associate glyphosate with cancer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it is not likely …

The Iron Dome air defence system, Israel’s crucial anti-missile shield

The Iron Dome air defence system, Israel’s crucial anti-missile shield

Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system has intercepted thousands of rockets since it first went into operation in 2011, providing the country with crucial cover during times of conflict. Issued on: 14/04/2024 – 08:08 1 min It has been heavily relied upon to protect military and civilian sites from frequent barrages of rockets fired from Gaza and Lebanon in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.  Israel’s air defences were also in operation on Saturday night, after Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles in an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory. Israel initially developed the Iron Dome alone after the 2006 Lebanon War, and was later joined by the United States, which has provided its defence know-how and billions in bipartisan financial support for the program. The system has an interception rate of around 90 percent, according to Israeli defence firm Rafael, which helped design it.  Here’s how it works:  Three-part system  The Iron Dome is one part of Israel’s multi-tiered missile defence systems and is designed to intercept short-range rockets at a distance …

Therapy before COVID-19 offered protective shield against pandemic anxiety, research suggests

Therapy before COVID-19 offered protective shield against pandemic anxiety, research suggests

In a recent study, it was found that individuals who had undergone therapy for anxiety before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic fared better in terms of managing their anxiety during the high-stress period of the pandemic compared to the general population. Published in the journal PLOS One, the research highlights the importance of cognitive and behavioral skills in coping with anxiety during global stress events, suggesting a kind of protective shield for those equipped with these techniques. The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably had a profound impact on the mental health of people worldwide, with a significant uptick in anxiety levels reported across various demographics. A notable increase in anxiety was documented from the early days of the pandemic in 2020, continuing through the initial rollout of vaccines in early 2021. Amid this backdrop of widespread uncertainty and heightened perceived threat—a known trigger for anxiety—the study aimed to explore the pandemic’s effects on the treatment outcomes for anxiety, specifically the role of pre-pandemic therapy in navigating these turbulent times. “At the start of the pandemic, …

DOJ calls Apple’s privacy justifications an ‘elastic shield’ for financial gains

DOJ calls Apple’s privacy justifications an ‘elastic shield’ for financial gains

The U.S. Department of Justice sued Apple Thursday over monopolistic practices. The complaint accuses Apple of moulding its privacy and security practices in ways that benefits the company financially. One quote particularly jumps out where the DOJ calls Apple’s privacy and security justification an “elastic shield”: “Apple deploys privacy and security justifications as an elastic shield that can stretch or contract to serve Apple’s financial and business interests,” it says. “Apple wraps itself in a cloak of privacy, security, and consumer preferences to justify its anticompetitive conduct. Indeed, it spends billions on marketing and branding to promote the self-serving premise that only Apple can safeguard consumers’ privacy and security interests.” That’s not all — there are several other instances where the DOJ thinks Apple is bending privacy to degrade customer experience: App Store and app distribution It also pointed out that Apple doesn’t allow the creation and usage of alternative app stores. However, it allows governments and enterprise customers to install secure app stores, the complaint noted. It also said that at the moment developers …

Erectile dysfunction medications could offer unexpected shield against Alzheimer’s disease

Erectile dysfunction medications could offer unexpected shield against Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have uncovered that medications typically used for treating erectile dysfunction (ED) may offer an unexpected benefit: a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. According to the findings published in Neurology, men who were prescribed ED drugs were found to be 18% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in subsequent years. Alzheimer’s disease represents a significant challenge to global health, accounting for the majority of dementia cases and serving as a major cause of death. With the global prevalence of all-cause dementia set to triple by 2050, the race is on to find effective treatments and preventive measures. While recent advancements have seen the development of monoclonal antibodies targeting the immune system to clear β-amyloid plaques in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, these treatments are not cures. The exploration of preventive interventions remains a critical research priority for promoting healthy aging and mitigating the burden of this disease. “Although we’re making progress with the new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease that work to clear amyloid plaques in the brain for people with early stages …

4 Ways to Shield Yourself From the Effects of Time Poverty

4 Ways to Shield Yourself From the Effects of Time Poverty

Jon Tyson / Unsplash Time may be the most important resource there is. “Time poverty” refers to experiencing a lack of sufficient time to fulfill responsibilities, pursue interests, or engage in activities that contribute to one’s well-being due to various demands on one’s time. This can result from factors such as heavy workloads, long commutes, unpaid domestic work, or caregiving responsibilities, according to research. It has also been found that women tend to experience higher rates of time poverty as they are more likely to be balancing multiple roles in their lives. Time poverty also encapsulates a subjective sense of being overwhelmed due to constantly feeling rushed or pressured, like they are always running out of time. Even if there is objectively enough time available to them, multiple obligations competing for their attention can become draining and make them feel a lack of control over their own time. This often discourages the most positive or efficient use of one’s time. Feeling “time-poor” has negative effects on physical health, mental well-being, and one’s overall quality of …