Key GOP Negotiator Says ‘Thorny’ Issues Unsettled in Debt Deal
Representative Patrick McHenry said Saturday that there are still “thorny issues” in the negotiations between House Republicans and
2023-05-27 20:48
Ukraine's air defenses are better than ever, but Dnipro devastation shows they're not perfect
CNN meets the soldiers manning an air defence unit which makes the difference between life and death when Russia attacks.
2023-05-27 19:27
US debt ceiling negotiations push towards critical default deadline
By Moira Warburton and Katharine Jackson WASHINGTON Democratic and Republican negotiators said they were hopeful of reaching a
2023-05-27 19:21
Charting the Global Economy: German Growth Outlook Deteriorates
Germany suffered its first recession since the start of pandemic, extinguishing hopes that Europe’s top economy could escape
2023-05-27 17:19
China to Strengthen Semiconductor Cooperation With South Korea
China said it has agreed with South Korea to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on semiconductor supply chains, amid
2023-05-27 17:19
Iceland Wage Restraint Needed to Slow Hikes, Central Banker Says
Iceland’s labor market parties must rein in wage growth to help slow interest rate hikes, according to the
2023-05-27 17:17
Ukraine asks Germany to provide Taurus long-range missiles - Berlin
BERLIN Ukraine has asked Germany to supply it with Taurus cruise missiles, an air-launched weapon with a range
2023-05-27 16:54
Disgusted by racism targeting soccer's Vinícius, his Brazilian hometown rallies to defend him
The chants of “monkey!” at the Spanish soccer stadium echoed across the Atlantic, reaching the ears of people on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. That's where Vinícius Júnior, who is Black, grew up and launched his soccer career. Now, despite his global fame and millions, he was again the target of crude European racism. His city in multiracial Brazil was sickened, and has rallied to his defense. In Sao Goncalo, rapper Deivisson Oliveira was eating breakfast when the TV news showed the abuse aimed at his hometown hero. “I needed to cry out," said Oliveira, 30, who raps under the name MC Menor do CPX. Oliveira typed lyrics on his phone with his 6-month-old son at his feet. Powerful verses surged through his thumbs: "From the favela to the world: Strength, Vinícius Júnior!" Racism in the Spanish league has intensified this season, especially after Vinícius started celebrating goals by dancing. On at least nine occasions, people have made monkey sounds at Vinícius, chanted the slur “monkey!” and hurled other racist slurs. Vinícius has repeatedly demanded action from Spanish soccer authorities. Vinícius’ 2017 move to Real Madrid was the culmination of years of effort. One of the most popular clubs in global soccer paid 45 million euros (about $50 million) — at the time the most ever for a Brazilian teenager — even before his professional debut with Rio-based Flamengo. Relentless racism wasn’t part of Vinícius’ dream when he was growing up in Sao Goncalo. Sao Goncalo is the second-most populous city in Rio’s metropolitan region, and one of the poorest in the state of Rio de Janeiro, according to the national statistics institute. At night in some areas, motorists turn on their hazard lights to signal to drug-trafficking gangs that the driver is local. It is also where the 2020 police killing of a 14-year-old sparked Black Lives Matter protests across Rio. Racism has once again fanned outrage. Rio’s imposing, illuminated Christ the Redeemer statue was made dark one night in solidarity. The city’s enormous bayside Ferris wheel this week exhibits a clenched Black fist and the scrolling words: “EVERYONE AGAINST RACISM.” “My total repudiation of the episode of racism suffered by our ace and the pride of all of us in Sao Goncalo,” the city's mayor, Nelson Ruas dos Santos, wrote on Twitter the morning after the incident. Rio's Mayor Eduardo Paes was less diplomatic when responding to a defense issued by the Spanish soccer league’s president. “Go to hell, son of a...” Paes wrote. On Thursday, Spanish league president Javier Tebas held a news conference claiming that the league has been acting alone against racism, and that it could end it in six months if granted more power by the government. At the same time in Rio, representatives of more than 150 activist groups and nonprofits delivered a letter to Spain’s consulate, demanding an investigation into the league and its president. They organized a protest that evening. “Vinicius has been a warrior, he’s being a warrior, for enduring this since he arrived in Spain and always taking a stand," activist Valda Neves said. “This time, he’s not alone.” The first Black Brazilian players to sign for European clubs in the 1960s met some racism in the largely white society, but rarely spoke out. At the time when Brazil still considered itself a “racial democracy,” and did not take on the racism that many faced. In the late 1980s, the federal government made racial discrimination a crime and created a foundation to promote Afro-Brazilian culture. At the time, many Brazilian players who might identify as Black today did not recognize themselves as such. Incidents of racism in Europe prompted little blowback in Brazil. In the decades since, Brazil’s Black activists have gained prominence and promoted awareness of structural racism. The federal government instituted policies aimed at addressing it, including affirmative-action admissions for public universities and jobs. There has been heightened consciousness throughout society. In 2014, a fan hurled a banana at defender Dani Alves during a Spanish league match; he picked it up and ate it in a show of defiance, triggering a coordinated social media campaign with other Brazilian players, including star forward Neymar, who did the same. Vinícius’ own educational nonprofit this week launched a program to train public school teachers to raise awareness about racism and instruct kids in fighting discrimination. A teacher at a Sao Goncalo school that will host the project, Mariana Alves, hopes it will provide kids much-needed support and preparation. She spoke in a classroom with soccer-ball beanbag chairs strewn about, and enormous photos of Vinícius on the walls. Most of the school’s students are Black or biracial, and many have experienced racism, Alves said in an interview. This week, her 10-year-old students have been asking if she saw what happened to Vinícius because they don’t fully understand. “He has money, he has all this status, and not even that stopped him from going through this situation of racism,” said Alves, who is Black and from Sao Goncalo. “So the students wonder ... ‘Will I go through that, too? Is that going to happen to me?’” As a boy, Vinícius started training at a nearby feeder school for Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club, before signing with its youth team. Sao Goncalo kids there were a blur Wednesday afternoon as they ran non-stop drills, leaving them without time or breath to discuss their idol’s troubles on another continent. Still, they knew. One of them, Ryan Gonçalves Negri, said he has talked about it with his friends outside the soccer school, and that Vinícius should transfer out of the Spanish league “urgently.” “I would never want to play there," Negri, 13, said. “It's not for Brazilians who know how to score goals and celebrate.” While the kids practiced, the rapper Oliveira and his producer Éverton Ramos, known as DJ Cabide, stepped onto the turf and made their way to the corner. They set up a speaker beneath a banner of Vinícius as a brash teenager with his tongue extended, then started recording a clip for their protest song’s music video. “I’m no one, but my voice can reach where I can’t go, where I can’t imagine going,” Oliveira said. “My voice will get there, you understand?” ___ Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese contributed from Sao Paulo ___ More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Spanish court opens investigation into racist abuse targeting Vinícius Júnior Spain takes action against racism after Vinícius case but punishing fans remains a challenge Roma striker Tammy Abraham on racism in soccer: 'These things hurt people'
2023-05-27 16:48
Halle Bailey's star role in 'Little Mermaid' is an inspiration for young Black girls. Here's why.
Eleven-year-old Leah Murphy feels empowered by Halle Bailey's star role as Ariel in the live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid."
2023-05-27 16:25
Ron DeSantis news – live: DeSantis Jan 6 pardon remark rebuked as Disney slams bid to disqualify lawsuit judge
Since his 2024 campaign got off to a shaky start on Wednesday evening with its much-derided Twitter Spaces launch, Ron DeSantis has been doing the rounds of right-wing media outlets, reminding voters of his record in Florida and taking the occasional dig at chief rival, former president Donald Trump. In one interview he said, if elected president, he would consider pardons for those charged with January 6 Capitol riot offences, and when pressed as to whether that would include Mr Trump, acknowledged it would be everyone. His remark was criticised not just by Democrats, but was also sharply rebuked by former Republican Rep Liz Cheney, who tweeted: “Any candidate who says they will pardon Jan. 6 defendants is not qualified to be President.” Meanwhile, in the Florida governor’s ongoing feud with the Walt Disney Company, Disney urged a federal court to reject a request by Mr DeSantis to disqualify the judge overseeing the company’s lawsuit saying it amounted to political retaliation. Disney filed its First Amendment lawsuit against the governor in April, saying it was punished for speaking out against Florida legislation that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay”. Read More DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse Ron DeSantis says he will consider pardon for Trump if elected DeSantis for President? This is what the polls say His 2024 launch was laughable but DeSantis could be more dangerous than Trump
2023-05-27 16:24
Twitter Withdraws From EU Disinformation Code, Commissioner Says
Twitter exited the voluntary European Union’s Code of Practice on Disinformation, the bloc’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton
2023-05-27 15:52
Scientists discover 'impossible' ancient Mayan city in remote jungle
It feels like every day there’s a science story that comes along ready to blow our tiny minds, and today is no exception. A series of ancient interconnected cities have been discovered in the remote El Mirador jungle Guatemala, and it’s changing our entire understanding of the ancient civilisation. More than 400 settlements have been uncovered with some dating back as far as 1,000 BC. They’re linked by roads too, and it’s led them to be described as “the first freeway system in the world”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Richard Hansen, a research professor at the University of Idaho, is an expert on the project and he’d called the findings a “game-changer”. It was previously thought that the Mayan peoples were nomadic, but these cities have changed the scientific community’s understanding. Speaking to the Washington Post, Hansen said: "We now know that the Preclassic period was one of extraordinary complexity and architectural sophistication, with some of the largest buildings in world history being constructed during this time.” On top of the 110 miles of interconnected roads, the discoveries also showed evidence of organised agriculture and even hydraulic systems. The findings are the result of work which first began in 2015, which saw lidar technology uncovered signs of ancient structures below the surface. Archaeologist Enrique Hernández, from San Carlos University said about the findings: “Now there are more than 900 [settlements]… We [couldn’t] see that before. It was impossible,” he said. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-05-27 15:48