Latest news with #US-style
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
The dangers of imported American culture wars
The US anti-abortion movement is more emboldened than it has been in years, largely due to Trump removing nearly all protections for abortion providers. He has instructed federal prosecutors to limit enforcement of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (Face), which was introduced in response to violence against abortion clinics and staff, including the murder of doctors. In January, Trump also chose to pardon 23 anti-abortion activists who had been jailed for invading and blockading abortion clinics under the Face Act. READ MORE: Anas Sarwar urged to whip Scottish Labour MPs against welfare cuts The chilling events of the weekend should give us pause for thought here in Scotland. The hard-won Safe Access Zones Act, which keeps anti-abortion protesters 200 metres away from hospitals providing abortion services, came about in direct response to the importation of US-style clinic protests. Although many of the protesters were locals, they were recruited and organised by Texan anti-abortion organisation 40 Days for Life. I first witnessed the protests while living near the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, and the unmistakably US overtones – the signs, the fanaticism – made my blood run cold. Abortion rights in Scotland are under attack with the help of US dollars. When anti-abortion activist Rose Docherty flouted the new buffer zone legislation, she was swiftly lionised by the Alliance Defending Freedom – an American legal advocacy group categorised as an extremist homophobic hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre. She was framed as a persecuted victim of state overreach, rather than someone deliberately undermining public health protections. An even more disturbing example came when JD Vance grossly misrepresented Scotland's buffer zone laws, which led to a surge in abuse directed at MSP Gillian Mackay. Mackay, who spearheaded the buffer zones bill, was called a 'baby killer', received emails suggesting her abusers knew her home address, and was even sent rape threats – all while she was pregnant. The recent events in America are existentially terrifying, threatening our sense of freedom, peace, and democracy. It would be a grave mistake to assume that such extremism cannot reach our shores. It already has. Attempts to undermine our laws and the will of our parliament are not theoretical – they are happening right now. Yet, watching so many Americans take to the streets in defence of the freedoms they cherish gives me hope. I have faith in them – and I have faith in us.
North Wales Chronicle
2 days ago
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Compensation delayed for millions of Brits in Mastercard
This follows the Competition Appeal Tribunal's approval on how the settlement should be distributed last month, following the class action against Mastercard, which dates back to 2016. Walter Merricks, the former financial ombudsman, launched his claim after the European Commission ruled in 2007 that Mastercard's 'multilateral interchange fees' charged to businesses had since 1992 infringed competition law. He alleged that 46 million shoppers in Britain were ripped off after fees were wrongly levied on transactions made over a 15-year period between 1992 and 2008. The fees were paid by retailers accepting Mastercard payments, rather than by consumers themselves. But Mr Merricks claimed shoppers had lost out as retailers passed on these fees in the form of higher prices. It followed the arrival of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which allowed for US-style class actions in UK competition claims. A statement from Mr Merricks said millions of UK consumers who are part of the class action could now come forward and claim their share of the £200 million, with individuals potentially getting between £45 and £70 each. Recommended reading Mr Merricks said UK consumers would shortly be able to register to receive a payment by completing a simple online form, regardless of whether they ever held a Mastercard card - bit that now seems to be delayed. Commenting on the outcome, Mr Merricks said: 'I started this case because I believed that Mastercard's fees paid by retailers for processing card transactions had been unlawfully high and virtually all UK consumers had lost out for long periods by paying higher prices than they should have done as retailers passed on those costs. 'As the evidence came to be known through the litigation process, this was the position only in a relatively small proportion of transactions and the settlement reflects that.'
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Trick to clean your house even faster with '30cm rule' as top Dyson whiz reveals common vacuum fail we're all guilty of
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A TOP Dyson designer has revealed exactly how fast to move your vacuum cleaner – and going slower can actually save you time. It turns out that racing around your house isn't necessarily the best way to get the cleaning out of the way quickly. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 You may have been vacuuming wrong your entire life Credit: Dyson 6 You'll want to visualise one of these during your next vacuum cleaning session Credit: Getty 6 The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach took a trip to Dyson's Oxfordshire HQ Credit: Sean Keach Vacuuming an entire house can be a bit of a nightmare, especially if you've got loads of furniture, carpets, and a dog or cat. So going fast can be tempting now that vacuum cleaners are often wireless and lightweight – just look at Dyson's impossibly thin new PencilVac. SPEED TEST I took a trip to Dyson's Oxfordshire campus where I heard from Dyson designer Jonny Gray, who revealed the exact speed you'll want to be moving your vacuum cleaner. "To be exact, about 0.3 metres a second is probably where you want to be in terms of speed," Jonny explained. That's a 30cm ruler, so if you imagine moving across one of those every second, you're getting it right. "I'm sorry to say that the slower you go, the cleaner your floors will be," Jonny said. Of course, he warned that you can also end up going too slow. The Dyson design whiz said you'll get "diminishing returns the more you go over it". So it's important to not go too slow or fast – and stick to the 30cm rule. "The IEC standards that we get are 0.5 metres a second," Jonny, Senior Design Manager at Dyson, told us. Watch Sir James Dyson unveil secret PencilVac, world's slimmest vacuum cleaner "But we have demonstrated that you get around 100% pick-up over the course of three passes with 0.3 metres a second speed." If you rush around, your vacuum cleaner will end up missing bits. And if you go too slow, you're simply wasting time – and it won't be worth the wait. FOOD FOR FLOORS Jonny, who works on vacuum cleaners at Dyson's gigantic Malmesbury campus, spends time trying to pick up all manner of difficult debris. 6 Dyson's senior design manager Jonathan Gray revealed the secret to vacuuming Credit: Sean Keach 6 The Sun was given a peek inside Dyson's debris cupboard, filled with commonly spilled items Credit: Sean Keach And he also told The Sun that Cheerios are one of the trickiest things for a vacuum cleaner to collect due to their size. But he warned that US-style Froot Loops are even trickier to collect. Dog biscuits are also difficult for vacuum cleaners to pick up, Jonny revealed. But the brainy Dyson designer explained that if you follow the 30cm rule, you should be able to get a "100% pick-up" rate – even during a nightmare Cheerio spillage. WHAT'S IN DYSON'S SECRET FOOD CUPBOARD? Here's what The Sun's tech editor Sean Keach found inside the Dyson cupboard... Porridge oats Rice Pasta Long-grain rice Nylon pieces Japanese sushi rice Japanese tea leaves Sugar Bread crumbs Finishing plaster Cotton wool balls Cheerios Popping corn Cat food Hair Tapioca pearls Froot Loops Dog biscuits Bicarbonate of soda Cat litter Picture Credit: Sean Keach Dyson's Lab includes a cupboard filled with different materials for testing with its vacuum cleaners. That includes porridge oats, British and even American rice, sugar, cotton wool, and cat litter. And they even have Japanese sushi rice and tea leaves, to make sure that the vacuum cleaners they flog to Japan are up to snuff.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Compensation delayed for millions of Brits in Mastercard
Walter Merricks, the former financial ombudsman, launched his claim after the European Commission ruled in 2007 that Mastercard's 'multilateral interchange fees' charged to businesses had since 1992 infringed competition law. He alleged that 46 million shoppers in Britain were ripped off after fees were wrongly levied on transactions made over a 15-year period between 1992 and 2008. Why the payments could be open to all UK shoppers? The fees were paid by retailers accepting Mastercard payments, rather than by consumers themselves. But Mr Merricks claimed shoppers had lost out as retailers passed on these fees in the form of higher prices. It followed the arrival of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which allowed for US-style class actions in UK competition claims. A statement from Mr Merricks said millions of UK consumers who are part of the class action could now come forward and claim their share of the £200 million, with individuals potentially getting between £45 and £70 each. Recommended reading How can people register for a share of the compensation? Mr Merricks said UK consumers would shortly be able to register to receive a payment by completing a simple online form, regardless of whether they ever held a Mastercard card - bit that now seems to be delayed. Commenting on the outcome, Mr Merricks said: 'I started this case because I believed that Mastercard's fees paid by retailers for processing card transactions had been unlawfully high and virtually all UK consumers had lost out for long periods by paying higher prices than they should have done as retailers passed on those costs. 'As the evidence came to be known through the litigation process, this was the position only in a relatively small proportion of transactions and the settlement reflects that.'
South Wales Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Compensation delayed for millions of Brits in Mastercard
This follows the Competition Appeal Tribunal's approval on how the settlement should be distributed last month, following the class action against Mastercard, which dates back to 2016. Walter Merricks, the former financial ombudsman, launched his claim after the European Commission ruled in 2007 that Mastercard's 'multilateral interchange fees' charged to businesses had since 1992 infringed competition law. He alleged that 46 million shoppers in Britain were ripped off after fees were wrongly levied on transactions made over a 15-year period between 1992 and 2008. The fees were paid by retailers accepting Mastercard payments, rather than by consumers themselves. But Mr Merricks claimed shoppers had lost out as retailers passed on these fees in the form of higher prices. It followed the arrival of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, which allowed for US-style class actions in UK competition claims. A statement from Mr Merricks said millions of UK consumers who are part of the class action could now come forward and claim their share of the £200 million, with individuals potentially getting between £45 and £70 each. Recommended reading Mr Merricks said UK consumers would shortly be able to register to receive a payment by completing a simple online form, regardless of whether they ever held a Mastercard card - bit that now seems to be delayed. Commenting on the outcome, Mr Merricks said: 'I started this case because I believed that Mastercard's fees paid by retailers for processing card transactions had been unlawfully high and virtually all UK consumers had lost out for long periods by paying higher prices than they should have done as retailers passed on those costs. 'As the evidence came to be known through the litigation process, this was the position only in a relatively small proportion of transactions and the settlement reflects that.'
