A man is convicted and fined for burning a copy of the Quran in London
LONDON — A man who burned a copy of the Quran and shouted 'Islam is religion of terrorism' outside the Turkish consulate in London was convicted Monday of a religiously aggravated public order offense and fined.
Free speech campaign groups raised concerns that his conviction was against the freedom of expression and vowed to appeal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
33 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Italy to Strengthen STMicro, Not Tear It Apart, Minister Says
Italy intends to strengthen embattled semiconductor company STMicroelectronics NV, a joint venture with France, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said. 'Our intention is to strengthen STMicro on an international level and certainly not to tear it apart,' Urso told reporters in Rome on Wednesday.
New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Says Putin Plans to Retaliate for Ukrainian Attack on Its Warplanes
President Trump said Russia planned to retaliate against Ukraine for its surprise attack over the weekend, after speaking to President Vladimir V. Putin on the phone for more than an hour on Wednesday. 'President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on airfields,' Mr. Trump said in a statement on social media. He described their exchange as a 'good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace.' Mr. Trump did not say in the statement if he sought to discourage Mr. Putin from attacking Ukraine. The White House did not respond to a question inquiring if Mr. Trump pushed back against Mr. Putin. He rather expressed optimism over the prospect of working with Mr. Putin on another foreign policy priority: deterring Iran's nuclear capabilities. The post broke a rare, if temporary, silence by Mr. Trump on complex international affairs. The statement was his first about Kyiv's drone attack on airfields in Russia, a stunning assault that hit nuclear-capable bombers, revealing a significant vulnerability. In what amounted to a strategic and symbolic blow, Ukraine hid drones across Russia before attacking airfields in five regions stretching across five time zones. The attack cost about $7 billion in damage. Mr. Trump described the episode as if he were a bystander, and suggested that an aggressive Russian response was a fait accompli. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Hamilton Spectator
40 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
London-area conservation officials warn: Don't get burned by giant hogweed
With summer around the corner and more people heading outdoors, London-area conservation officials are warning the public to be wary of an invasive plant that poses serious health risks. The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority is urging residents to stay vigilant as it ramps up efforts to manage giant hogweed, a toxic plant commonly found along waterways, roadsides and ditches. In a public notice, the agency called it 'one of Ontario's most dangerous invasive species.' Native to southwest Asia and introduced as a garden ornamental, giant hogweed can grow up to five metres tall and is becoming more common across southern and central Ontario. Its caustic sap can cause severe, long-lasting, and sometimes irreversible harm. 'All parts of the plant – stem, roots, leaves, even flowers – hold phototoxic sap,' said Brandon Williamson, the conservation authority's land management coordinator. Severe burns can occur when sap on the skin is exposed to sunlight as UV rays activate harmful compounds. 'If you're one of the unlucky ones who has a severe reaction to hogweed sap . . . you can get extremely severe burns (and) blistering. You can get heavy purple blotching on your skin that can last for years,' Williamson added. Symptoms typically appear within 48 hours and may result in long-term sensitivity to sunlight. Williamson said giant hogweed's clear, watery sap can even cause 'temporary and even permanent blindness' if it comes into contact with the eyes. As of May 20, conservation staff had already logged more than 120 hours treating about 47 hectares of conservation authority-owned property along the Thames River, according to the public notice. The work also helps protect native species, which giant hogweed can easily outcompete. Although the plant is more prevalent in some places – such as in the northern part of the watershed – Williamson said it's hard to say whether the problem is growing. In the Killaly area of northeast London, for example, the presence of hogweed has remained steady over the past 15 years. However, Williamson noted giant hogweed's ability to spread and 'move around' if it isn't managed. 'Because of how giant hogweed distributes its seeds and pops up across the watershed, if one landowner does a lot of work on their property and gets ahead of it, but the adjacent landowners upstream do not, then those seeds will go downstream and start to germinate and populate that area,' he said. The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority stated that appropriate personal protective equipment must be worn while managing giant hogweed. bwilliams@ Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
