defiant

Students Defiant As Uni Charter Cuts Freedom Of Thought

December 19, 2019 5:22 pm

A top Chinese university has removed references to “freedom of thought” from its charter, triggering a rare act of student defiance, while two other institutions added language stressing fealty to President Xi Jinping and the Communist Party.

A video circulating this week showed students at Shanghai’s Fudan University singing the school song — which extols “academic independence and freedom of thought” — in an apparent protest.

Fudan’s charter change was announced by the Ministry of Education on its website late Tuesday and criticism quickly trended on social media before China’s ever-vigilant online censors acted to delete posts and block …

Social Media Bill: Defiant Senate Ignores Public Outcry

November 27, 2019 8:02 am

In the days leading to the inauguration of the 9th Senate, stakeholders had raised concerns about the recruitment process of the presiding officers of the upper legislative chamber.

The concerns were predominantly borne of fears that the active involvement of the presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) would produce a rubber stamp leadership that will be subservient to the Executive arm.

Another critical consideration was the concern about the loyalty of the leadership of the Senate – loyalty to the people or to President Muhammadu Buhari. President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, during his campaign, repeatedly made a …

Turkey Defiant On Syria Operation As US Demands Ceasefire

October 16, 2019 8:33 am

Turkey remained defiant against mounting international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria, raising tensions with Washington as Vice President Mike Pence headed for Ankara on Wednesday to demand a ceasefire.

Battles raged in the key Syrian border town of Ras al-Ain as dawn broke on Wednesday, with Kurdish fighters trying to hold off the onslaught by Turkish-backed forces, now in its second week.

The fighting has triggered a flurry of diplomacy among major powers, with US President Donald Trump dispatching Pence along with his top diplomat Mike Pompeo to Turkey amid the greatest crisis …