What Role Should Religion Play in Our Lives?
On this episode of Matter of Opinion, Michelle Cottle, Carlos Lozada and Ross Douthat discuss Ross's new book, 'Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious,' and explore the role religion should play in our lives and society.
(A full transcript of this audio essay will be available within 24 hours of publication in the audio player above.)
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The Guardian
7 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Slapp addict' Italian oil firm accused of trying to silence green activists
When Antonio Tricarico was summoned to his local police station in October and told he was being investigated for defamation, he was stressed but not shocked. Months earlier, Tricarico, the director of the Italian environment NGO ReCommon, had filed a joint legal challenge against the country's biggest oil company, Eni, which he knew had a history of using lawyers to clamp down on critics. The company had previously limited itself to civil defamation lawsuits, including against ReCommon, but in Tricarico's case it initiated criminal proceedings over statements he had made in a television interview. 'There is intimidation against myself, for sure, which is not nice and is impacting daily work,' said Tricarico, who is now considering the energy and resources that would be needed if the case goes to trial. 'But I think the intimidation is broader.' Environment groups say Eni is engaging in a campaign to stifle critics, with the company having filed at least six defamation lawsuits against journalists and NGOs since January 2019. The publicly traded company, which is under the de facto control of the Italian economy ministry, is among the world's biggest historical polluters in terms of planet-heating gas. It plans to increase its underlying production by 3-4% a year over the course of the decade, even as roadmaps to stop the planet from heating call for rapid declines in fossil fuel use. Court documents show Eni has initiated legal proceedings against critics including the Italian public broadcaster Rai, Greenpeace and multiple newspapers. The company has sought more than €10m (£8.6m) in damages across the known cases, according to analysis shared exclusively with the Guardian by Aria, a non-profit research organisation. Eni's latest lawsuit does not seek compensation. Judges have ruled against Eni in three of the cases and another was resolved in a settlement agreement. Two more cases, including the criminal investigation into Tricarico and a civil case against Greenpeace and ReCommon, are continuing. Simona Abbate, a climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace Italy, said: 'Eni is trying to silence dissent. It's an international strategy that fossil companies use to limit the environmental movement.' Campaigners say the cases are examples of 'strategic lawsuits against public participation', known as Slapps, which can bully journalists and watchdogs into silence with the threat of spurious legal action that stands little chance of success. Eni disputes the characterisation. In April, a coalition of NGOs including Reporters Without Borders and Transparency International awarded Eni the title of 'Slapp addict of the year' for its defamation lawsuits. The groups highlighted Eni's 2024 case against Greenpeace and ReCommon after they sought to hold Eni accountable for climate damages. The company is responsible for 0.46% of global emissions since the Industrial Revolution, according to figures from the Carbon Majors database that include emissions released by customers burning its fuels. Eni's case against the NGOs seeks to stop them from characterising its actions as 'crimes' or using similar language in campaigns. A spokesperson for Eni said it 'has not only the right but the duty to turn to the judicial authorities when faced with false and defamatory statements that damage its reputation'. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion They said: 'It is important to note that Eni has not initiated any Slapp suits against environmental groups, as it has not sought any financial compensation, but only the judicial truth to which it is entitled.' In earlier defamation lawsuits that Eni lost, mostly concerning coverage of the acquisition of a Nigerian oilfield licence, the company had sought damages of €5m and €350,000 from the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano and €5m from Rai. Eni was eventually acquitted of criminal charges in the corruption trial, which was brought about by NGOs including ReCommon. Climate activists and oil companies are increasingly turning to the courts as fights over pollution and public opinion have become more fraught. While several oil and gas companies have been criticised by free speech campaigners for using legal threats to fight off critics, Eni has filed more lawsuits against journalists and environment groups than other European oil majors are known to have done. Tricarico said there had been 'a change of pace' since Eni's attempts to claim damages from media organisations had failed, and it was now taking a more subtle approach by not asking for money. 'The company realised that probably this was not enough to stop the few critical voices – and actually was a pretty bad outcome in court,' he said. 'My feeling is that they are moving to a different approach that you might call a 'Slapp 2.0'.'
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cubs turn Miles Mikolas into batting practice pitcher on Friday afternoon
The 4th of July provided plenty of fireworks for the sold-out crowd at Wrigley Field on Friday afternoon. The bombs away fest went on despite the winds blowing too severe. The real issue was the meatballs from St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas. The Chicago Cubs sent five of Mikolas pitches into the bleachers in the first three innings of the game en route to a 11-3 blowout win. In all, Mikolas allowed six home runs in the game. It was the fourth straight win for the Cubs and fourth straight loss for St. Louis. MORE: MLB recognizes Pirates red-hot closer with award on Friday Seiya Suzuki got the party started right away in the first inning. He clubbed his 24th home run to five Chicago a 1-0 lead. Pete Crow-Armstrong followed suit with one to make it 2-0 Chicago after one inning. The bottom of the second inning was no better for Mikolas. Michael Busch hit his 15th of the season, and then Carson Kelly went deep for his 10th. It was 4-0 Chicago after two innings. The third inning saw Crow-Armstrong do it again, this time to right Field for his 23rd. Then, Busch hit his second of the day and 16th of the season, a two-run shot, and it was 7-0 and the party was on at Wrigley. Busch stayed hot in the fifth inning, along with Crow-Armstrong. After PCA singled and later moved up, Busch drove him home with a single to center field. Advertisement Dansby Swanson hit the sixth of the game for the Cubs to make the game 10-1 Chicago in the seventh. Then, it was Busch again. His third of the day, this time to center field to make it 11-1 Chicago. Mikolas finished the game after six innings, allowing 10 hits and eight earned runs. He struck out four and walked 0. He is now 4-6 on the season, with an ERA of 5.26. Collin Rea picked up the win for the Cubs. He went 6.2 innings, and allowed just one hit, a Brendan Donovan homerun, to a Cardinals team that got swept in three games, and did not score a run in Pittsburgh before coming to Chicago. To add insult to injury, position play Jon Berti picked up the final three outs on the mound for Chicago. Advertisement These two teams will get back together on Saturday, with Matthew Liberatore going for St. Louis. Chicago has yet to announce their starting pitcher following sending Jamison Taillon going on the 15-day injured list with a right calf strain. MORE MLB NEWS:
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Genesis Scottish Open field: Scottie Scheffler back; eight of world's top 10 competing
Scottie Scheffler headlines the field for next week's Genesis Scottish Open, which boasts eight of the top-10 players in the world along with a mix of PGA Tour and DP World Tour standouts. The world No. 1 skipped last year's event at Renaissance Club in North Berwick to recharge and spend more time with his family, including his son, Bennett. Scheffler has made three previous Scottish starts, with his best finish, a T-3, coming two years ago. Advertisement No. 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Xander Schauffele are also set to tee it up at the Scottish, though No. 6 Russell Henley and No. 7 Keegan Bradley will not. Other notable commitments include defending champ Robert MacIntyre, recent U.S. Senior Open winner Padraig Harrington, and Corey Conners, who is playing for the first time since withdrawing from the U.S. Open with a right wrist injury. The four sponsor exemptions are Luke Clanton, David Ford, Alex Noren and Brandt Snedeker.
