All posts tagged: told

Ofqual told ministers timeframe was impossible

Ofqual told ministers timeframe was impossible

Published by skeptic

Campaigners fear sign language GCSE now won’t be rolled out as promised in September 2025 Campaigners fear sign language GCSE now won’t be rolled out as promised in September 2025 More from this theme Recent articles The exams regulator warned the previous government it wouldn’t be possible to launch the long-awaited British sign language (BSL) GCSE in the timeframe announced by ministers, Schools Week can reveal.     Conservative ministers pledged to introduce the qualification next September, arguing it will “breakdown barriers, advance equality of opportunity, and celebrate the history and rich culture” of BSL. But it now looks likely that date will be missed, campaigners say. It has since emerged Ofqual also advised the previous incumbents of Downing Street that it would not be possible to meet the timeframe. BSL work ‘taking time’ Lindsay Foster, of BSL awarding body Signature, said: “It is [our] belief, given how close we are to 2025, that it is unrealistic that first teaching will commerce in September 2025. “Although the delay may be frustrating, it is important that this …

Concord: A tragedy told in two weeks | Kaser Focus

Concord: A tragedy told in two weeks | Kaser Focus

Published by skeptic

GamesBeat Next is connecting the next generation of video game leaders. And you can join us, coming up October 28th and 29th in San Francisco! Take advantage of our buy one, get one free pass offer. Sale ends this Friday, August 16th. Join us by registering here.  By now, I’m sure everyone’s heard the news about Concord. Firewalk’s poor multiplayer title launched into a most unfavorable market without really much going for it, and proceeded to do so poorly at sales that PlayStation and Firewalk have now pulled it from stores and essentially shut it down until further notice. They’ve also refunded all digital purchases of the game on console and PC (though I understand that physical copies of the game are still around, albeit not always in the hands of scrupulous people). It’s a sad end to the story of Concord’s development and launch. Firewalk is a young studio and Concord was their debut title. PlayStation originally partnered with the studio to back the project in 2021 before acquiring Firewalk in 2023 — and …

NASA Admits “Tension in the Room” as It Told Boeing Starliner Couldn’t Return Astronauts to Earth

NASA Admits “Tension in the Room” as It Told Boeing Starliner Couldn’t Return Astronauts to Earth

Published by José

Is this the understatement of the year? Difference of Opinion Amid the ongoing Starliner breakdown fiasco, NASA has admitted that there’s been a bit of “tension” between its officials and their counterparts at Boeing. As highlighted by Space.com, the head of the agency’s commercial crew program said during a press briefing earlier this week that the decision to bring the ailing Boeing capsule back to Earth sans its stranded crew was not met with enthusiasm from the embattled aerospace contractor. According to commercial crew director Steve Stich, Boeing doesn’t necessarily agree with NASA’s assessment that the issues with Starliner’s thrusters and docking modules with the International Space Station make it too unsafe to bring astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams back to Earth when the craft returns this week. “Boeing believed in the model that they had created to predict thruster degradation for the rest of the flight,” Stich said during the briefing. “The NASA team looked at the model and saw some limitation. It really had to do with, do we have confidence in the …

Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley told off by bosses as he threatens to walk-off

Good Morning Britain’s Richard Madeley told off by bosses as he threatens to walk-off

Published by Sam

Tensions rose on Good Morning Britain when co-host Richard Madeley was given a stern telling-off by ITV chiefs. The moment unfolded as Olympic silver medallist Daryll Neita joined Madeley and fellow presenter Kate Garraway on the programme. An eager Richard exclaimed: “Let’s see it!”, in reference to the medal. Daryll happily responded, “Do you want to put it on?”, which led to an excited Richard asking: “Can I?!” while Kate chimed in with support: “Oh wow, go on! So exciting. You go for it.” As they admired the medal, Richard pondered how to wear it correctly, then proceeded with the interview. However, he soon revealed: “Oh, apparently I’ve got to hand it back. Why have I got to hand it back?!” Garraway firmly stated: “You’ve got to hand it back because we want to see her wearing it!”, reports the Mirror. Richard retorted: “Well she offered! I didn’t take it off her, I didn’t nick it.” To which Kate affirmed: “We won’t steal it, but we want to have the image of her with her …

Labour told it will need to defeat ‘net-zero nimbys’ to decarbonise Britain | Renewable energy

Labour told it will need to defeat ‘net-zero nimbys’ to decarbonise Britain | Renewable energy

Published by skeptic

The government will need to “take on net-zero nimbys” and ramp up public investment to decarbonise Britain’s homes, transport and electricity system, a leading thinktank has said. With Keir Starmer promising a rapid transition to decarbonise the power system by 2030, a report by the Resolution Foundation said achieving the target would require more government spending and private investment. However, the thinktank said projects required to meet the goal – including new solar farms, battery storage, and onshore wind turbines – were likely to face resistance from local groups. It said many renewables projects would take place in wealthier parts of the country, and two-thirds of proposed solar projects would be in the richest 40% of neighbourhoods. “Doing this effectively will require overcoming opposition to development from net-zero nimbys, who often live in wealthier parts of the country,” said Jonny Marshall, a senior economist at the Resolution Foundation. “The government must be prepared to win these battles, which won’t be popular with some voters but are vital for the country as a whole.” The thinktank …

Staffers Were Told Biden Was Leaving Race in Email Telling Them to Check X

Staffers Were Told Biden Was Leaving Race in Email Telling Them to Check X

Published by skeptic

President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign staff didn’t receive official communication that he was dropping out until nearly 20 minutes after the announcement went up on social media. When they finally did get an email, it directed them to Biden’s post on X. “Team, sharing with you the letter from President Biden that was released just now. We will have more information later this afternoon,” Biden campaign managers Jen O’Malley Dillon and Julie Chavez Rodriguez wrote in an all-staff email timestamped at 2:03 pm Eastern. “Look out for an invite to an all staff call. We are so grateful to be part of this team with you all. More soon.” The email linked to a letter Biden had posted on X more than 15 minutes earlier, at 1:46 pm ET, announcing that he would no longer be seeking reelection. Politico reported that campaign aides had been whipping delegates at the very moment the letter was posted. The New York Times reported that aides as senior as Anita Dunn, who manages communications strategy for Biden, learned that …

Global IT outage: What to do if your travel plans are disrupted – as some passengers told ‘complete nonsense’ by companies | UK News

Global IT outage: What to do if your travel plans are disrupted – as some passengers told ‘complete nonsense’ by companies | UK News

Published by skeptic

Travellers around the world are facing a second day of chaos in the aftermath of Friday’s global IT outage.  Here, Sky News looks at what you can do if you’re affected by the disruption. Air passengers Friday was meant to be one of the busiest days of the summer as families jetted off on holidays at the end of the school year. But more than 300 flights to and from the UK were cancelled, with many more suffering significant delays, while others reported lost baggage. The bad news is that as the global IT outage was an extraordinary circumstance, compensation is not payable for flight delays or cancellations. Travel journalist Simon Calder told Sky News: “Unfortunately, if your flight is cancelled, then you don’t automatically get priority on the next one. “What happens is that the airline gives priority to people already booked on the flights which are going, and then you have to kind of scramble around for the few remaining seats. And this weekend, there aren’t many of those.” Image: Passengers at Edinburgh …

Millions of public sector workers should get 5.5% pay rise, ministers reportedly told | Politics News

Millions of public sector workers should get 5.5% pay rise, ministers reportedly told | Politics News

Published by Sam

Independent pay review bodies have reportedly told ministers millions of public sector workers should be given a 5.5% increase in pay. The proposed above-inflation increase for teachers and around 1.3 million NHS staff, reported by The Times, is well above the figure the government is thought to have been preparing for. Sir Keir Starmer’s government could need up to £10bn to cover such a pay increase if all public sector workers were given the 5.5% rise, an economist has warned. There are more than 500,000 teachers in the UK. At present, the government is believed to have budgeted for an increase of somewhere between 1% and 3%, with inflation currently at 2%. Paul Johnson, the director of the influential Institute for Fiscal Studies, said he was “not terribly surprised” by the figure, which would be in line with pay rises across the economy and would cost an extra £3bn for schools and the NHS alone. “In terms of the cost, there isn’t a specific number that is budgeted for schools, it’s probably 1 or 2%, …