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Universal Corporation Receives NYSE Notice Regarding Filing of Form 10-Q for the Fiscal Quarter Ended September 30, 2024Unesco nod for Shabab Oman, henna customsWASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Pat Verhaeghe didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader. Then Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and his appearances at sporting events. There was even the former president’s pairing with Bryson DeChambeau as part of the pro golfer’s YouTube channel series to shoot an under-50 round of golf while engaging in chitchat with his partner. “I regret saying this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and that he wouldn’t be a good president,” said the 18-year-old first-time voter. “I think he’s a great guy now.” Verhaeghe isn't alone among his friends in suburban Detroit or young men across America. Although much of the electorate shifted right to varying degrees in 2024, young men were one of the groups that swung sharply toward Trump. More than half of men under 30 supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, while Democrat Joe Biden had won a similar share of this group four years earlier. White men under 30 were solidly in Trump’s camp this year — about 6 in 10 voted for Trump — while young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most Black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about one-third were behind Trump. Young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than in 2020, while young Black men’s views of the party didn’t really move. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Democrats in 2020, which fell to about 4 in 10 this year. On the other hand, about two-thirds of young Black men had a favorable view of the Democrats this year, which was almost identical to how they saw the party four years ago. “Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, they want to feel valued," said Rafael Struve, deputy communications director for Bienvenido, a conservative group that focused on reaching young Hispanic voters for Republicans this year. “They're looking for someone who fights for them, who sees their potential and not just their struggles.” Struve cited the attempted assassination of Trump during a July rally in Pennsylvania as one of the catalyzing moments for Trump’s image among many young men. Trump, Struve said, was also able to reach young men more effectively by focusing on nontraditional platforms like podcasts and digital media outlets. “Getting to hear from Trump directly, I think, really made all the difference," Struve said of the former president's appearances on digital media platforms and media catering to Latino communities, like town halls and business roundtables Trump attended in Las Vegas and Miami. Not only did Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan's chart-topping podcast, but he took up DeChambeau's “Break 50” challenge for the golfer's more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. Trump already had an edge among young white men four years ago, although he widened the gap this year. About half of white men under 30 supported Trump in 2020, and slightly less than half supported Biden. Trump's gains among young Latino and Black men were bigger. His support among both groups increased by about 20 percentage points, according to AP VoteCast — and their feelings toward Trump got warmer, too. It wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men who identified as Republicans in 2024 rose as well, mostly aligning with support for Trump across all three groups. “What is most alarming to me is that the election is clear that America has shifted right by a lot,” said William He, founder of Dream For America, a liberal group that works to turn out young voters and supported Harris’ presidential bid. With his bombastic demeanor and a policy agenda centered on a more macho understanding of culture , Trump framed much of his campaign as a pitch to men who felt scorned by the country’s economy, culture and political system. Young women also slightly swung toward the former president, though not to the degree of their male counterparts. It's unclear how many men simply did not vote this year. But there's no doubt the last four years brought changes in youth culture and how political campaigns set out to reach younger voters. Democrat Kamala Harris' campaign rolled out policy agendas tailored to Black and Latino men, and the campaign enlisted a range of leaders in Black and Hispanic communities to make the case for the vice president. Her campaign began with a flurry of enthusiasm from many young voters, epitomized in memes and the campaign's embrace of pop culture trends like the pop star Charli XCX's “brat” aesthetic . Democrats hoped to channel that energy into their youth voter mobilization efforts. “I think most young voters just didn’t hear the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a liberal group that engages younger voters. Mayer said the Harris campaign’s pitch to the country was “largely convoluted” and centered on economic messaging that he said wasn’t easily conveyed to younger voters who were not already coming to political media. “And I think that the policies themselves were also very narrow and targeted when what we really needed was a simple, bold economic vision,” said Mayer. Trump also embraced pop culture by appearing at UFC fights, football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed that the former president’s ability to grab attention and make his remarks go viral did more for the campaign than paid advertisements or traditional media appearances. Trump's campaign also heavily cultivated networks of online conservative platforms and personalities supportive of him while also engaging a broader universe of podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages open to hearing him. “The right has been wildly successful in infiltrating youth political culture online and on campus in the last couple of years, thus radicalizing young people towards extremism,” said He, who cited conservative activist groups like Turning Point USA as having an outsize impact in online discourse. “And Democrats have been running campaigns in a very old fashioned way. The battleground these days is cultural and increasingly on the internet.” Republicans may lose their broad support if they don't deliver on improving Americans' lives, Struve cautioned. Young men, especially, may drift from the party in a post-Trump era if the party loses the president-elect's authenticity and bravado. Bienvenido, for one group, will double down in the coming years to solidify and accelerate the voting pattern shifts seen this year, Struve said. “We don’t want this to be a one and done thing,” he said. Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, and AP polling editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report.
Wayne Rooney has encouraged I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! viewers to vote for his wife to do a Bushtucker Trial as he feels she would want to “put herself to the test”. The former England footballer, 39, said he was “proud” of how Coleen was doing in the Australian jungle in a post on social media on Saturday. The couple, who first met at school and began dating aged 16, share four sons – Kai Wayne, Klay Anthony, Kit Joseph and Cass Mac. Proud of on she’s doing great ❤️ Me and the boys would love to see her doing a trial and we know she’d want to put herself to the test. If you can download the app and let’s get voting! 🗳️🕷️🐍 — Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) “Proud of @ColeenRoo on @imacelebrity she’s doing great”, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a collage of photos of her on the show. “Me and the boys would love to see her doing a trial and we know she’d want to put herself to the test. “If you can download the #ImACeleb and let’s get voting!” During the first task of the series, BBC Radio 1 presenter Dean McCullough chose to partner up with TV personality Coleen as he hailed her as “Wagatha Christie”. Rooney, 38, was given the nickname when she accused Rebekah Vardy, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, of leaking her private information to The Sun in a viral post on social media. In July 2022, a judge at the High Court found the post was “substantially true”. During Vardy’s stint on I’m A Celebrity, she became the third celebrity to leave, saying the series helped her become more tolerant. Earlier this week, Liverpool-born Coleen told her fellow campmate that going to court over her feud with Vardy was her “worst nightmare” as she felt she was “putting on a show for the whole world”. However, she said she was not scared about making the viral post which kicked off the dispute, saying: “I just didn’t think it would have the impact it did, because I was just that sick and tired of it, it was draining.” Later in the episode, Rooney became emotional over the loss of her sister Rosie, after boxing star Barry McGuigan spoke about the death of his daughter. I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! continues on ITV1 and ITVX.
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Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, has died at 100(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Robert C. Donnelly , Gonzaga University (THE CONVERSATION) Former President Jimmy Carter, who died on Dec. 29, 2024, at age 100 at his home in Plains, Georgia, was a dark horse Democratic presidential candidate with little national recognition when he beat Republican incumbent Gerald Ford in 1976. The introspective former peanut farmer pledged a new era of honesty and forthrightness at home and abroad, a promise that resonated with voters eager for change following the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. His presidency, however, lasted only one term before Ronald Reagan defeated him. Since then, scholars have debated – and often maligned – Carter’s legacy, especially his foreign policy efforts that revolved around human rights. Critics have described Carter’s foreign policies as “ineffectual” and “hopelessly muddled ,” and their formulation demonstrated “weakness and indecision.” As a historian researching Carter’s foreign policy initiatives , I conclude his overseas policies were far more effective than critics have claimed. A Soviet strategy The criticism of Carter’s foreign policies seems particularly mistaken when it comes to the Cold War, a period defined by decades of hostility, mutual distrust and arms buildup after World War II between the U.S. and Russia, then known as the Soviet Union or Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). By the late 1970s, the Soviet Union’s economy and global influence were weakening. With the counsel of National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Soviet expert , Carter exploited these weaknesses. During his presidency, Carter insisted nations provide basic freedoms for their people – a moral weapon against which repressive leaders could not defend. Carter soon openly criticized the Soviets for denying Russian Jews their basic civil rights , a violation of human rights protections outlined in the diplomatic agreement called the Helsinki Accords . Carter’s team underscored these violations in arms control talks. The CIA flooded the USSR with books and articles to incite human rights activism. And Carter publicly supported Russian dissidents – including pro-democracy activist Andrei Sakharov – who were fighting an ideological war against socialist leaders. Carter adviser Stuart Eizenstat argues that the administration attacked the Soviets “in their most vulnerable spot – mistreatment of their own citizens.” This proved effective in sparking Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s social and political reforms of the late 1980s, best known by the Russian word “glasnost ,” or “openness.” The Afghan invasion In December 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in response to the assassination of the Soviet-backed Afghan leader, Nur Mohammad Taraki. The invasion effectively ended an existing détente between the U.S. and USSR. Beginning in July 1979, the U.S. was providing advice and nonlethal supplies to the mujahideen rebelling against the Soviet-backed regime. After the invasion, National Security Advisor Brzezinski advised Carter to respond aggressively to it. So the CIA and U.S. allies delivered weapons to the mujahideen, a program later expanded under Reagan. Carter’s move effectively engaged the Soviets in a proxy war that began to bleed the Soviet Union. By providing the rebels with modern weapons, the U.S. was “giving to the USSR its Vietnam war,” according to Brzezinski : a progressively expensive war, a strain on the socialist economy and an erosion of their authority abroad. Carter also imposed an embargo on U.S. grain sales to the Soviets in 1980. Agriculture was the USSR’s greatest economic weakness since the 1960s. The country’s unfavorable weather and climate contributed to successive poor growing seasons, and their heavy industrial development left the agricultural sector underfunded . Economist Elizabeth Clayton concluded in 1985 that Carter’s embargo was effective in exacerbating this weakness. Census data compiled between 1959 and 1979 show that 54 million people were added to the Soviet population. Clayton estimates that 2 to 3 million more people were added in each subsequent year. The Soviets were overwhelmed by the population boom and struggled to feed their people. At the same time, Clayton found that monthly wages increased, which led to an increased demand for meat. But by 1985, there was a meat shortage in the USSR. Why? Carter’s grain embargo, although ended by Reagan in 1981, had a lasting impact on livestock feed that resulted in Russian farmers decreasing livestock production . The embargo also forced the Soviets to pay premium prices for grain from other countries, nearly 25 percent above market prices . For years, Soviet leaders promised better diets and health , but now their people had less food. The embargo battered a weak socialist economy and created another layer of instability for the growing population. The Olympic boycott In 1980, Carter pushed further to punish the Soviets. He convinced the U.S. Olympic Committee to refrain from competing in the upcoming Moscow Olympics while the Soviets repressed their people and occupied Afghanistan. Carter not only promoted a boycott, but he also embargoed U.S. technology and other goods needed to produce the Olympics. He also stopped NBC from paying the final US$20 million owed to the USSR to broadcast the Olympics. China, Germany, Canada and Japan – superpowers of sport – also participated in the boycott. Historian Allen Guttmann said, “The USSR lost a significant amount of international legitimacy on the Olympic question.” Dissidents relayed to Carter that the boycott was another jab at Soviet leadership. And in America, public opinion supported Carter’s bold move – 73% of Americans favored the boycott . The Carter doctrine In his 1980 State of the Union address, Carter revealed an aggressive Cold War military plan. He declared a “ Carter doctrine ,” which said that the Soviets’ attempt to gain control of Afghanistan, and possibly the region, was regarded as a threat to U.S. interests. And Carter was prepared to meet the threat with “ military force .” Carter also announced in his speech a five-year spending initiative to modernize and strengthen the military because he recognized the post-Vietnam military cuts weakened the U.S. against the USSR. Ronald Reagan argued during the 1980 presidential campaign that, “Jimmy Carter risks our national security – our credibility – and damages American purposes by sending timid and even contradictory signals to the Soviet Union.” Carter’s policy was based on “weakness and illusion” and should be replaced “with one founded on improved military strength,” Reagan criticized. In 1985, however, President Reagan publicly acknowledged that his predecessor demonstrated great timing in modernizing and strengthening the nation’s forces, which further increased economic and diplomatic pressure on the Soviets. Reagan admitted that he felt “very bad” for misstating Carter’s policies and record on defense. Carter is most lauded today for his post-presidency activism , public service and defending human rights. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for such efforts. But that praise leaves out a significant portion of Carter’s presidential accomplishments. His foreign policy, emphasizing human rights, was a key instrument in dismantling the power of the Soviet Union. This is an updated version of a story that was originally published on May 2, 2019. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/jimmy-carters-lasting-cold-war-legacy-his-human-rights-focus-helped-dismantle-the-soviet-union-113994 .Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump's supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump's movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump's Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer, a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer's comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks, whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar." Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government, weighed in, defending the tech industry's need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump's world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift, and his presidential transition team did not respond to a message seeking comment. Musk, the world's richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect, was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump's movement but his stance on the tech industry's hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry's need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent," he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump's own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration, including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order, which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump's businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club, and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country" and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country," he told the “All-In" podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump's budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.Georgian police said on Saturday they arrested dozens of people during a crackdown on pro-EU protesters who rallied Friday for a ninth consecutive day against the government decision to shelve talks on joining the bloc. Security forces fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the thousands of people who had gathered outside parliament in Tbilisi in the evening to demand fresh elections and a return to European integration. "Law enforcement detained 48 individuals for disobedience to lawful police orders and petty hooliganism," the interior ministry said in a statement. The Caucasus nation has been engulfed in turmoil since the governing Georgian Dream party declared that it had won a disputed October 26 election. The government which critics accuse of creeping authoritarianism and of steering the country back towards Russia, last week said it would suspend talks to join the European Union, sparking a fresh wave of demonstrations. Authorities' heavy-handed response has triggered outrage at home and mounting international condemnation. Hundreds of arrests have been made. The country's rights ombudsman has accused the police of "torture" against those detained, with scores reporting mistreatment or showing visible injuries. Friday night's demonstration had been largely peaceful until riot police moved in to clear the area, AFP reporters saw. Scuffles ensued with police making arrests and protesters launching fireworks at security forces. The interior ministry said authorities dispersed the crowd after the "actions of some of the people at the protest took on a violent character," with some verbally abusing police officers and throwing stones at them. One policeman was injured by a firework, it added. Rights ombudsman Levan Ioseliani said police "had no legal grounds for the dispersal of a peaceful rally." After the crackdown, smaller groups of demonstrators marched through the streets of the capital and blocked traffic on a central road, with police chasing after them and snatching some protesters. As on several previous nights, the protest ended at dawn and is expected to resume on Saturday. With both sides ruling out a compromise, there appeared to be no clear route out of the crisis. The United States, France and Germany are among the Western countries to have denounced the crackdown on protests. But the government has refused to back down. Before Friday's rally, the prime minister had praised his security forces for "successfully neutralising the protesters' capacity for violence", after several opposition party offices were raided and opposition leaders arrested. "We have won an important battle against liberal fascism in our country," Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told a news conference, using language reminiscent of how the Kremlin in Russia targets its political opponents. Yet, demonstrators remained defiant and rejected Kobakhidze's characterisation of the protest movement. "The vast majority of people here are not affiliated with any parties," said Alexander Kavtaradze, 35, an academic who attended Friday's rally in Tbilisi. "We're here because we believe in the European democratic future of this country." Thousands have also staged anti-government rallies in the second city of Batumi on the Black Sea coast. "People are ready to fight for as long as it takes," said Adi, 37, a winemaker, protesting in the capital. Critics of Georgian Dream are enraged by what they call its betrayal of Tbilisi's bid for EU membership, enshrined in the constitution and supported by around 80 percent of the population. Several ambassadors, a deputy foreign minister and other officials have resigned over the suspension of EU talks. Georgian Dream, in power for more than a decade, has advanced controversial legislation in recent years, targeting civil society and independent media and curbing LGBTQ rights. Brussels warned such policies were incompatible with EU membership, while domestic critics accuse the government of copying Russia's playbook. im-ub/giv
Published 04:45 IST, December 30th 2024 INS Tushil, India’s newest stealth missile frigate, which is a Russia-built warship, is set to reach India’s western coast by mid-February. New Delhi: INS Tushil, India’s newest stealth missile frigate, which was commissioned into the Indian Navy on December 9 at the Yantar Shipyard in Russia’s Kaliningrad, is set to reach India’s western coast by mid-February. According to the defence officials, the warship will be a part of the Mumbai-based Western Fleet. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who attended the commissioning ceremony, hailed INS Tushil as a "proud testament" to India's growing maritime power. He also described the event as a "significant milestone" in strengthening the long-standing friendship between India and Russia. As part of efforts to strengthen naval cooperation and bilateral ties between India and Morocco, INS Tushil made a stop in Morocco’s Casablanca, on December 27, as it made its way to India. The warship will also conduct anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Guinea, located off the coast of West Africa before it reaches India. In October 2023, India and the European Union held their first naval exercise in the Gulf of Guinea aimed at boosting maritime security and fighting piracy. INS Sumedha, an offshore patrol vessel, joined forces with Italian, Spanish, and French warships during the exercise. INS Tushil is an upgraded Krivak III class frigate, part of Project 1135.6, and is one of six such vessels built for the Indian Navy. It is equipped with advanced weapons like BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Shtil surface-to-air missiles, and an upgraded medium-range anti-air gun system. The warship is also designed for operations across air, surface, underwater, and electromagnetic domains. Notably, INS Tushil has around 26% indigenous content, which is double that of the previous Teg-class frigates. Contributions came from 33 Indian firms, including Bharat Electronics Limited, BrahMos Aerospace, and Nova Integrated Systems, a subsidiary of Tata Advanced Systems Limited. INS Tushil is part of a $2.5 billion deal with Russia for four more Krivak/Talwar class stealth frigates for the Indian Navy. Two of these ships are being built at the Yantar shipyard in Russia, while the remaining two will be constructed at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) with technology transfer from Russia. The second frigate, named Tamal, is expected to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in mid-2025. INS Tushil is specifically designed for blue-water operations, making it capable of handling the full spectrum of naval warfare. The ship is equipped with advanced technologies, including an electronic warfare and communication suite to enhance its operational capabilities. Updated 04:45 IST, December 30th 2024
An archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look onThe sultanate has achieved a cultural milestone with the inclusion of the training ship in Unesco’s Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. Oman has also succeeded in registering ‘Henna: Rituals, aesthetic and social practices’ on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in collaboration with other Arab states. ’s sail training programme aims to promote peace and foster cultural dialogue, introducing Oman’s intangible heritage to the world. Since its launch, the ship has embarked on 18 voyages, visiting over 55 countries. The programme offers a platform for young people of all genders to participate in voyages and coordinate cultural events on board in partnership with practitioners of arts, literature and traditional crafts. The official registration was announced during Oman’s participation in the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in Asuncion, Paraguay. The Omani delegation was led by H E Sayyid Said bin Sultan al Busaidi, Undersecretary for Culture in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and included representatives of Royal Navy of Oman and Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science. The Unesco Expert Evaluation Committee praised ’s efforts, acknowledging the ship’s role in advancing the International Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Officials noted that its inclusion in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices is a testament to Oman’s commitment to preserving its cultural identity and promoting international peace. Registration of henna traditions alongside other Arab countries highlights the cultural and social significance of the practice in Oman. Henna is deeply rooted in Omani customs and is linked to celebrations, beauty, health and its fragrant appeal. The traditional dye is also known for its therapeutic uses and symbolic role in marking special occasions. Over the years, the sultanate has successfully registered a total of 15 elements on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. These include four national elements unique to Oman – Al Bar’ah (2010), Al Azi (2012), Al Ardha al Khail Wa al Jamal (2018) and Khanjar (2022) – as well as ten joint Arab elements such as Al Taghroud (2012), Al Ayala (2014), Al Razfa (2015) and the cultural spaces of councils (2015). Other elements on the list include Arabic coffee, the palm tree, camel races, Arabic calligraphy and harees.U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, congratulates Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, left, and Israeli Premier Menachem Begin, right, in three-way handshake on March 26, 1979 on the north lawn of the White House, Washington, D.C., after signing the historic U.S.-sponsored peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. AFP-Yonhap Jimmy Carter, the 100-year-old former U.S. president and Nobel peace laureate who rose from humble beginnings in rural Georgia to lead the nation from 1977 to 1981, has died, his nonprofit foundation said Sunday. Carter had been in hospice care since mid-February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia — the same small town where he was born and once ran a peanut farm before becoming governor of the Peach State and running for the White House. Carter died "peacefully" at his home in Plains, "surrounded by his family," the Carter Center said in a statement. "My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love," Chip Carter, the former president's son, said in the statement. Carter was the oldest living ex-U.S. leader and the nation's longest-lived president — an outcome that seemed unlikely back in 2015 when the Southern Democrat revealed he had brain cancer. But the U.S. Navy veteran and fervent Christian repeatedly defied the odds to enjoy a long and fruitful post-presidency, after four years in the Oval Office often seen as disappointing. During his single term, Carter placed a commitment on human rights and social justice, enjoying a strong first two years that included brokering a peace deal between Israel and Egypt dubbed the Camp David Accords. But his administration hit numerous snags — the most serious being the taking of U.S. hostages in Iran and the disastrous failed attempt to rescue the 52 captive Americans in 1980. He also came in for criticism for his handling of an oil crisis. In November of that year, Republican challenger Ronald Reagan clobbered Carter at the polls, relegating the Democrat to just one term. Reagan, a former actor and governor of California, swept into office on a wave of staunch conservatism. Isaac Feiner, left, and Kate Battaglia, right, leave flowers at the bust of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the Carter Presidential Center Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 29. EPA-Yonhap Active post-presidency As the years passed, a more nuanced image of Carter emerged — one that took into account his significant post-presidential activities and reassessed his achievements. He founded the Carter Center in 1982 to pursue his vision of world diplomacy, and he was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts to promote social and economic justice. He observed numerous elections around the world and emerged as a prominent international mediator, tackling global problems from North Korea to Bosnia. Carter, known for his toothy smile, said basic Christian tenets such as justice and love served as the bedrock of his presidency. He taught Sunday school at Maranatha Baptist, his church in Plains, well into his 90s. In recent years, he had received various hospital treatments, including when he revealed in August 2015 that he had brain cancer and was undergoing radiation. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter helps build a house as he visits the construction site of houses being built by Carter's Habitat for Humanity foundation for victims of the January 2010 earthquake in Leogane, 33km south of Port-au-Prince, on Nov. 26, 2012. AFP-Yonhap 'Leader, statesman and humanitarian' Tributes poured in from White House leaders past, present and incoming. Bill Clinton said Carter "worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world," while Donald Trump said Americans owed the Democrat "a debt of gratitude." George W. Bush said Carter's legacy would "inspire Americans for generations," while Barack Obama said the former leader "taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service." "America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian," current President Joe Biden and his wife Jill said in a statement. "For anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning -- the good life -- study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility." In April 2021, the Bidens met with the Carters at their home in Plains. The White House later released a photo showing the couples smiling together, although only Rosalynn was seen by the press outside, bidding the Bidens farewell while using a walker. Rosalynn, Carter's wife of 77 years, died on Nov. 19, 2023 at age 96. The former president, who looked frail, poignantly appeared at her memorial service in a wheelchair, with a blanket on his lap bearing their likenesses. Carter is survived by the couple's four children, three sons and a daughter. (AFP)
WASHINGTON — A White House official said Friday the U.S. identified a ninth telecommunications company impacted by a wide-ranging Chinese espionage effort and that further steps are planned to curb cyberattacks from Beijing. As the Biden administration learns about the scope and scale of the so-called Salt Typhoon breach that it attributed to China, officials are laying the blame on companies that were slow to identify the attack. “The reality is that China is targeting critical infrastructure in the United States. Those are private sector companies, and we still see companies not doing the basics,” Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday. “That’s why we’re looking forward and saying ‘Let’s lock down this infrastructure,’” she added. “And frankly, let’s hold the Chinese accountable for this.” The Commerce Department this month moved ahead with a ban of China Telecom and, according to Neuberger, similar actions will be released in the next month. Salt Typhoon is the name given to the hacking group behind the attacks. Microsoft Corp. assigns cyberthreat actors different names, to better identify and reference incidents, with the moniker “typhoon” used for activity originating from or attributed to China. Neuberger said one of the nine telecoms breached involved an administrator account that had access to over 100,000 routers. “So when the Chinese compromised that account, they gained that kind of broad access across the network. That’s not meaningful cybersecurity to defend against the nation-state actors,” Neuberger added. The U.S. still doesn’t have an exact assessment of how many Americans were targeted, Neuberger said. A large number of individuals were affected by geolocating around the Washington, D.C., and Virginia area — but fewer than 100 individuals’ phone calls and texts were hacked, she said. The Federal Communications Commission is voting on a rule in mid-January that would help protect America’s critical infrastructure, Neuberger said. She said the General Services Administration is reviewing government contracts to require better cybersecurity practices. Neuberger also cited an alarming increase in the number of health-related hacks that exposed Americans’ health care information and left them vulnerable to blackmail and said that the Department of Health and Human Services will propose new rules to protect medical data. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.(The Center Square) – State and national officials lauded former President Jimmy Carter for his public service after learning of his death Sunday afternoon at the age of 100. President Joe Biden said an official state funeral would be held for Carter in Washington. "He was a man of great character and courage, hope and optimism," Biden said. "We will always cherish seeing him and Rosalynn together. The love shared between Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter is the definition of partnership and their humble leadership is the definition of patriotism." President-elect Donald Trump urged everyone to keep the Carter family in their thoughts and prayers. "The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans," Trump said in a statement released from his campaign. "For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude." Former president Bill Clinton gave Carter and his wife Rosalynn the Medal of Freedom in 1999. "From his commitment to civil rights as a state senator and governor of Georgia; to his efforts as President to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David; to his post-presidential efforts at the Carter Center supporting honest elections, advancing peace combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn's devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity--he worked tirelessly for a fairer, better world," Clinton and his wife Hillary said in a statement. Former president George W. Bush hailed Carter as a man of deeply held convictions. "President Carter dignified the office," Bush said on social media. "And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn't end with the presidency. His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations." Carter served as Georgia's governor from 1971-1975 before becoming president. Under his leadership, the European and Japanese state trade offices were launched, as well as the Georgia Film Commission," Gov. Brian Kemp said. "He and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter's support of the civil rights movement in the place of its birth is also remembered with deep appreciation." Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said Carter exemplified what it meant to be a public servant. "I had the honor of meeting him and his wife, and I will never forget that day," Jones said. "They were kind, wonderful, accepting and exactly what they portrayed every day, two people devoted to lifting up those in their community who needed help the most. President Carter's legacy will live on in the numerous nonprofits, charities and organizations Rosalynn, his family and him started."
