All posts tagged: Defying

Education Minister refuses to let schools become integrated, defying 80% parent support

Education Minister refuses to let schools become integrated, defying 80% parent support

Minister for Education of Northern Ireland Paul Givan | NI Assembly TV Northern Ireland Humanists has expressed deep concern over a decision by Education Minister Paul Givan to reject two North Down schools’ plans to become integrated, ignoring a sizeable majority of parents voting in favour of the proposals. A ballot of parents of children attending Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College found that around 80% supported the proposal to transform to integrated status. A similar ballot held by Rathmore Primary School saw 82% of parents in favour. ‘Transformation’ refers to the legal process where an existing state school – either a ‘maintained’ school (Catholic) or a ‘controlled’ school (de facto Protestant) – changes its status to become an integrated school, following a clear parental wish to do so. Integrated schools bring together children from different backgrounds – Protestant, Catholic, and those of other faiths and beliefs – to learn side by side in a single, inclusive environment. Northern Ireland Humanists has long advocated a single system of education, and campaigns for a fully inclusive …

Whistleblower: Defying Niger exit order leaves U.S. troops vulnerable

Whistleblower: Defying Niger exit order leaves U.S. troops vulnerable

A senior U.S. Air Force leader deployed in Niger is raising an alarm over the Biden administration’s reluctance to heed an eviction notice from the military junta that last year overthrew the West African nation’s democratically elected government. The airman, in a private whistleblower complaint to Congress obtained by The Washington Post, accused top officials at the U.S. Embassy in Niger’s capital of Niamey of having “intentionally suppressed intelligence” as they seek to maintain the “facade of a great country-to-country relationship.” The embassy’s actions, the whistleblower wrote, have “potential implications” for U.S. relations with other African nations “and the safety of our personnel in the region.” The State Department and Defense Department rejected the claims of negligence, saying the United States is making a final push to maintain a U.S. military presence in post-coup Niger, though they acknowledge that talks are difficult and may fail to produce an agreement. The whistleblower complaint was transmitted to Capitol Hill before U.S. officials met Wednesday with Niger’s prime minister. Follow-on discussions with other senior Nigerien officials were scheduled …

In defying Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu is exposing the limits of US power | Jonathan Freedland

In defying Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu is exposing the limits of US power | Jonathan Freedland

The pictures out of Gaza get more harrowing with each passing day. After months of witnessing civilians grieving for loved ones killed by bombs, now we see children desperate to eat – victims of what the aid agencies and experts are united in calling an imminent “man-made” famine. What matters most about these images is their depiction of a continuing horror inflicted on the people of Gaza. But they also reveal something that could have lasting implications for Israelis and Palestinians, for Americans and for the entire world. What they show, indeed what they advertise, is the weakness of the president of the United States. Joe Biden and his most senior lieutenants have been urging Israel to increase the flow of food aid into Gaza for months, in ever more insistent terms. This week the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, cited the finding of a UN-backed agency that the threat of hunger now confronted “100% of the population of Gaza”, adding that this was the first time that body had issued such a warning. …

Nexon announces action-RPG Vindictus: Defying Fate

Nexon announces action-RPG Vindictus: Defying Fate

Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the gaming industry’s top leaders? Learn more about GamesBeat Summit sponsorship opportunities here.  Nexon announced today that it has a new action-RPG in the works. Vindictus: Defying Fate is inspired by Celtic mythology and is set in the same realm as the original Vindictus. The company plans to launch the new title on PC and consoles, though it doesn’t currently have a release date. Players pick from a roster of character, each of whom have their own abilities. According to Nexon, it plans to launch a pre-alpha public beta test sometime soon, and players can participate by wishlisting the game on Steam. The game also has an official Discord server for players to share their feedback. Vindictus is the Western name for the franchise, which is called Mabinogi Heroes in Eastern markets. It’s set in the same world as Nexon Korea’s MMO Mabinogi. Defying Fate will have a few returning characters from the previous title, including Lann and Fiona. GamesBeat’s creed when covering the game …

Recession has struck some of the world’s top economies. The US keeps defying expectations

Recession has struck some of the world’s top economies. The US keeps defying expectations

NEW YORK (AP) — As some of the world’s biggest economies stumble into recession, the United States keeps chugging along. Both Japan and the United Kingdom said Thursday their economies likely weakened during the final three months of 2023. For each, it would be the second straight quarter that’s happened, which fits one lay definition for a recession. Yet in the United States, the economy motored ahead in last year’s fourth quarter for a sixth straight quarter of growth. It’s blown past many predictions coming into last year that a recession seemed inevitable because of high interest rates meant to slow the economy and inflation. Give much of the credit to U.S. households, who have continued to spend at a solid rate despite many challenges. Their spending makes up the majority of the U.S. economy. Government stimulus helped households weather the initial stages of the pandemic and a jump in inflation, and now pay raises are helping them catch up to high prices for the goods and services they need. On Thursday, a report showed …

‘Wicked’ Trailer Welcomes Fans Into the Emerald City as Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Sing ‘Defying Gravity’

‘Wicked’ Trailer Welcomes Fans Into the Emerald City as Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Sing ‘Defying Gravity’

A Wicked teaser trailer is finally here, thank goodness!  During Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, Universal Pictures finally shared a first look at the film adaptation of the Broadway musical which has taken more than a decade to bring to the big screen.  The movie stars Ariana Grande as Galinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, the two main characters in the unofficial prequel to The Wizard of Oz. The story follows Galinda and Elphaba’s friendship and explores the origin of how they became known throughout the land of OZ as Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West.  In the new promo, fans get their first peek at Emerald City as audio of Grande and Erivo singing “Defying Gravity” plays in the background. After the promo aired, Vanity Fair released a first-look portrait of Grande and Erivo in character, as well as an interview with the actresses.  Grande called their characters’ bond “a really selfless love and friendship,” adding, “They’re both each other’s first real friend, a person who accepts them for everything that they …

Defying Inflation, Americans Have Kept Spending Money

Defying Inflation, Americans Have Kept Spending Money

U.S. retail sales grew more than expected in December, rounding off a surprisingly strong year in terms of consumer spending, as Americans continued to spend money in defiance of inflation and high interest rates. According to advance estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, total retail and food services sales – including spending at stores, online and in restaurants – amounted to $709.9 billion in December, up 0.6 percent from the previous month and 6 percent compared to December 2022. Considering that consumer prices grew by 3.4 percent in December, retail sales outpaced inflation last month, meaning that consumers actually spend more than 12 months earlier, even adjusted for inflation. When measured in constant 1982-1984 dollars, retail sales increased 2.2 percent year-over-year in December, marking the highest increase since February 2022. As Statista’s Felix Richter shows in the following chart, most of the increase in retail sales over the past two years can be attributed to rising prices, as shoppers have spent more bucks for the same bang. You will find more infographics at Statista Between December 2021 and December 2023, …

“You are not a victim”: Judge sentences Trump adviser Peter Navarro to prison for defying subpoena

“You are not a victim”: Judge sentences Trump adviser Peter Navarro to prison for defying subpoena

After being found guilty last September of defying a congressional subpoena related to the investigation into Jan. 6, 2021, former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced to pay a $9,500 fine and serve four months in a federal prison.  Thursday’s ruling marks the second time a former Trump White House official has been sentenced to prison for contempt of Congress. Steve Bannon was similarly sentenced to a four-month stint. His case is now pending appeal. The two Trump aides attempted to avoid appearing before the House committee investigating the attack on Congress and the 2020 election, citing executive privilege because they worked in the White House with the president.  U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta disagreed, however, telling Navarro Thursday that it took “chutzpah” for him to continue to claim that his prosecution was politically motivated.  “I know you think it’s a political hatchet job,” Mehta told Navarro. “(The House committee) had a job to do, and you made it harder. It’s really that simple.” “You are not a victim. You are not the …

Trump adviser Peter Navarro sentenced to 4 months in prison for defying Jan. 6 committee subpoena

Trump adviser Peter Navarro sentenced to 4 months in prison for defying Jan. 6 committee subpoena

WASHINGTON — Former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison Thursday for criminal contempt of Congress, with federal prosecutors saying he “thumbed his nose” at the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Navarro was convicted in September on two counts for refusing to testify and provide documents to the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, which issued its report and dissolved in late 2022 after Republicans won control of the House. The charge carried a mandatory minimum sentence of a month in prison. Federal prosecutors had sought six months for Navarro, saying he, “like the rioters at the Capitol, put politics, not country, first, and stonewalled Congress’s investigation.” Navarro, prosecutors said, “chose allegiance to former President Donald Trump over the rule of law.” U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta handed down the sentence Thursday and also ordered Navarro to pay a fine of $9,500. Before issuing the sentence, Mehta told Navarro that the words “executive privilege” …

I teach in secret, defying the Taliban ban and fighting despair | Women’s Rights

I teach in secret, defying the Taliban ban and fighting despair | Women’s Rights

I have sent the link and I am waiting for my students to join the Zoom session. I am teaching them English. I receive a notification that my students are in the waiting room. I put a big smile, I let them in, and greet them in English. I know that they can’t see my smile because I don’t turn on my camera for security reasons, but I know they hear it in my voice. I know that I have to do everything and anything to keep up the spirits of my students. And I have to do it for myself as well. Since 2021, we have had to struggle against two enemies: the Taliban ban on secondary and higher education for girls and women and the desperation and hopelessness that are slowly overcoming us. According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), some 2.5 million girls and young women are out of school due to the ban. Before the universities were closed for us, one in three young women were enrolled; some …