Matthew Knight, senior curator of prehistory at NMS, said: “The moment the sixth shield arrived back in Scotland and was unpacked at the National Museums Collection Centre was breath-taking. “Bronze shields from this period are exceptional to Britain and by bringing all six of these incredibly rare shields together, we can gain a deeper understanding of life and conflict in Bronze Age Scotland and beyond. Measuring around 60-70cm in diameter, the bronze shield is decorated with hammered bosses and ribs, and has spear damage and other forms of damage – indicating it was used in combat. Alexandra Ault, head of collections at the Society of Antiquaries of London, said: “We are delighted to lend the Beith shield to the National Museums of Scotland. “This loan marks the first time in over 235 years the shield has been back to Scotland and is an exciting opportunity to see it alongside other important Scottish Bronze Age artefacts.”Scotland’s First Warriors explores thousands of years of history, from the Neolithic (late Stone Age) to the coming of the Romans.

The £100million production of Amazon Prime's Lara Croft TV adaptation has been thrown into chaos after lead actress Sophie Turner injured her back on set, according to reports. With much of the reboot already filmed, bosses are said to feel it would be too tough to replace Sophie with another actress. 'Many on set fear Sophie may have to be replaced altogether now, as she may not bounce back in time. The £100million production of Amazon Prime's Lara Croft TV adaptation has been thrown into chaos after lead actress Sophie Turner injured her back on set, according to reports'But so much has already been shot that it's causing a real headache for producers.' She announced the news of Sophie's casting last September and said: 'I'm so excited to announce the formidable Sophie Turner as our Lara alongside this phenomenal creative team.

Lidl National League Division 1: Kerry 2-10 Kildare 2-9Kerry secured their Lidl National League Division 1 status for 2027 with a narrow victory in a tense relegation decider at Manguard Plus GAA Centre of Excellence which saw Kildare lose their top flight status. O’Shea and Niamh Ní Chonchúir added further scores as Kerry built momentum, but Kildare struck back through a well-taken Alannah Prizeman goal to regain the advantage. Danielle O’Leary was again central for Kerry, reacting quickest after her shot was saved to palm home her second goal. Scorers for Kerry: Danielle O’Leary 2-1; Síofra O’Shea 0-4 (2f); Leah McMahon, Éabha Ní Laighinn, Mary O’Connell, Niamh Ní Chonchúir, & Rachel Dwyer 0-1 each. KILDARE: R Fennin, Á Mernagh, M Doherty, A Murnane, H McLoughlin, R Sargent, L Lenehan (capt), J Harney, G Wheeler, L Shaw, C Wheeler, M Aspell, A Rattigan, M Doyle, A Prizeman.

The grieving son of cop killer Dezi Freeman has lashed out at 'disgusting' reactions online after his father was shot dead by police following a three-hour standoff. Freeman's son, Koah, made an emotional Facebook post on a Bright community noticeboard just hours after his father was killed by police, bringing to an end a seven-month manhunt. 'I am not here to defend my father's actions because I know what he did was wrong,' Koah said. 'Just bear in mind that to you's my father was a cop killer, but to me that's still my father who raised me to be the man I am today. 'This is news that I'll be grieving about while some of you disgusting humans celebrate online for me to watch.

England international Missy Bo Kearns has devastatingly revealed that she has lost her baby just weeks after announcing her pregnancy. The Aston Villa star shared that she and her 28-year-old boyfriend Liam Walsh, who plays for Luton Town, were expecting their first child in early March. But Kearns sadly took to social media platform Instagram on Sunday to reveal that their baby had died during the early weeks of pregnancy. Luton Town also posted: 'We send all our love and support to Liam, Missy Bo, and their families at this deeply sad time.' Kearns was included on the standby list for Euro 2025, with England eventually going on to defend their title.

A high school resource officer is under investigation in South Carolina after shocking footage emerged of him allegedly striking a young baseball player over the head with his taser. The officer then angrily uses his taser to strike the youngster, seemingly named Andrew, around the side of his head. The officer claims he only lashed out because the player was continuously standing on his foot with his cleats. In the footage, the terrified player is urged to get down on his knees by parents to prevent further escalation. One adult, standing off to the side, appears to suggest that a parent threatened to strike the officer earlier on.

Rylan Clark confessed he had a 'traumatic' face procedure earlier in the week after he was grilled about his new look by a BBC Radio colleague. The presenter, 37, admitted he had his latest tweakment as he presented his BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday. Rylan's co-star Sally Boazman, 68, who does the traffic reports asked Rylan: 'You're looking very good these days. But Rylan told her: 'I won't go into it over the radio, because it was just quite invasive on the faces! He has also had lip filler, Botox and underwent another procedure for his teeth so they would look more natural.

The 'world's largest' Mini Egg weighing nine stone - the same size as a cheetah - has been produced for Easter week at Cadbury World. The 70cm milk chocolate egg is encased in a speckled, pastel pink, crisp sugar-coated shell and will be available to view until Sunday, April 12. Cadbury World's chocolatiers Claire Fielding, Dawn Jenks and Donna Pitt made the Easter treat over two days. Last year Cadbury World featured a 90cm Creme Egg, which weighed 45kg and was entirely made of real chocolate. Cadbury World is set in the chocolate company's original home of Bournville, where chocolatiers first began producing treats over a century ago.

It said that buyer demand has been running below last year’s levels across the first three months of the year. Overall, UK house price inflation is holding steady, with 1.3% annual growth. Richard Donnell, executive director at Zoopla, said: “The market remains active, but becoming increasingly reliant on a smaller pool of serious buyers. Its house price figures cover the period up to the end of February. Here are annual house price changes, according to Zoopla:London, minus 0.2%South East, minus 0.2%South West, 0.0%Eastern England, 0.6%East Midlands, 1.2%West Midlands, 1.9%Wales, 2.1%Yorkshire and the Humber, 2.2%Scotland, 2.6%North East, 2.8%North West, 3.5%Northern Ireland, 7.2%

Fans and players were left confused in a friendly matchup between the United States and Belgium on Saturday after there was a clear kit clash that made it hard to determine which team was which. At one point in the first half, The Athletic reported, US officials considered fetching alternative kits from the team hotel, only to decide that was not viable. USMNT winger Christian Pulisic told reporters that the similar colored jerseys were 'difficult to deal with' - adding that 'everyone was a bit shocked' when the clash was discovered. Amadou Onana called the clash 'awful' while Christian Pulisic said it was 'difficult to deal with'Outside of the kit clash, the match was generally a disaster for the United States. The United States will stay in Atlanta for a Tuesday friendly against Portugal.

Portsmouth winger Millenic Alli has been called up for the Republic of Ireland's friendly against North Macedonia on Tuesday. Photograph: Sally Rawlins/Getty ImagesPortsmouth winger Millenic Alli has been handed his first senior Republic of Ireland call-up ahead of Tuesday’s friendly against North Macedonia after Sammie Szmodics was ruled out. The 26-year-old Alli, on loan at Portsmouth from Luton, joined up with the squad on Sunday morning to take part in his first training session. Szmodics was knocked unconscious in Thursday night’s World Cup qualifying playoff semi-final defeat to the Czech Republic, and has returned to Derby to continue his recovery. Heimir Hallgrímsson has also said that Ipswich midfielder Jack Taylor is a doubt to face North Macedonia, having left camp to travel home for family reasons.

In terms of our domestic maritime security, it is important that these supply chains really matter, particularly for an island state. Earlier this month, Mr McCabe was awarded a contract by the Department of Defence and the Department of Communications to lead the new maritime security research project at the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI). A leading maritime security expertMr McCabe's appointment was widely seen as a coup for the Government as the Dubliner is considered one of the leading maritime security experts on these islands. Robert McCabe at the National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) at Ringaskiddy, Cork Harbour, where he has just started as head of the new maritime security research project. Picture: Larry Cummins“I think there’s an opportunity for Ireland to position itself as a leader in maritime security research, so my objective is to build on what we currently have,” he says.

The Netherlands, for example, has one of Europe’s worst housing crises, with a shortage of 400,000 homes, rampant house prices, and a growing population. It has now appointed an Irish woman as housing minister. Her model also requires asking the people to give up a little for the sake of the wider community. Suddenly, the strong polling of the party ahead of the presidential election doesn’t look as watertight as it had appeared. Seen as a trend, these events show it is not all doom and gloom for centrist and left-leaning governments everywhere.

‘State takes in record €1bn inheritance tax as Taoiseach Micheál Martin pledges reform.’The Sindo was not an outlier. During the week, this newspaper featured the issue of inheritance tax, again as if it was an unfair toll being levelled on a cohort who are weighed down with disadvantage. A few years ago the Commission on Taxation and Welfare reported that in order to fund services into the future it would be necessary to effect measures such as lowering thresholds for inheritance tax. Today, inheritance tax is, to the greatest extent, a tax on the runaway property market. Another story last week highlighted the plight of a group for whom inheritance tax might as well be the name of a space station on Mars.

All of this is presented by the all-male Taliban leadership as in accordance with God’s will. On their first day back in power in Kabul, the Taliban orchestrated a march of fully veiled women who filled an auditorium at a local university. A Taliban fighter stands guard as women wait to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul. The Taliban had banned women from education, most jobs and public spaces like parks since seizing control of Afghanistan in 2021. Misogyny takes less extreme forms in other religions, but Catholicism, as well as Judaism and Islam, excludes women from positions of authority, power and effective decision-making.