Louis Anthony Grandison Jr., better known by his stage name Dexta Daps, has established himself as a dynamic force in the dancehall and reggae music scenes. Born on January 12, 1986, in Seaview Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica—a community that also birthed legends like Bounty Killer and Elephant Man—Dexta’s rise to stardom is a story of talent, resilience, and a deep connection to his roots. Growing up in the humble yet culturally rich neighborhood of Seaview Gardens, Dexta was exposed to the rhythms of life that would later inspire his music. He attended Calabar High School, where he was a standout footballer, playing in inter-school competitions and the prestigious Manning Cup. However, it was music that ultimately captured his heart. Dexta credits the struggles and aspirations of his community for shaping his artistry. “The melodic voices of kids crying for help and the hunger for retribution inspired me to sing songs of happiness and joy,” he once reflected. Dexta Daps began his music career in 2012 with the release of “Save Me Jah” and “May You Be,” but it wasn’t until 2014 that he gained widespread recognition. His breakout singles, “Morning Love” and “Jealous Ova,” the latter featuring dancehall artist Tifa, showcased his versatility and unique vocal style. In 2015, Dexta solidified his position in the dancehall world with “Shabba Madda Pot,” an ode to his community’s resilience. The song garnered millions of views on YouTube and remains one of his most iconic tracks. Dexta’s debut album, (2017), marked a turning point in his career. Accompanied by a short erotic film that amassed millions of views, the project established him as a sex symbol in the genre. His follow-up album, (2020), further cemented his place in the industry, earning praise from peers and fans alike. Dexta has collaborated with a host of local and international artists, including Kranium, Masicka, Spice, Beenie Man, Davido, Tory Lanez, and Kiesza. His music bridges the gap between traditional reggae rhythms and contemporary dancehall beats, making him a global ambassador of Jamaican music. In 2024, Dexta teamed up with British rapper M1llionz on the single “WAH GWAN,” further expanding his influence on the international stage. Known for his sultry tracks like “No Underwear” and “Owner,” Dexta has earned a reputation as dancehall’s premier sex symbol. His live performances, often featuring women brought on stage, have been both celebrated and criticized for their explicit nature. Beyond his sensual persona, Dexta also delves into themes of community and family. Tracks like “Shabba Madda Pot” pay homage to the people and experiences that shaped him, while songs like “Mek Mama Proud” and “Superhero” highlight his devotion to his mother. However, his career has not been without controversy. In 2020, Dexta was arrested in his hometown on suspicion of gun possession and involvement in gun violence. Despite spending weeks in custody, no formal charges were filed, and he was eventually released. Dexta Daps remains a trailblazer in the dancehall and reggae scenes. His ability to blend emotional storytelling with infectious rhythms resonates with fans worldwide. Whether exploring themes of love, struggle, or community, his music continues to captivate and inspire. With an active presence on social media and streaming platforms, Dexta Daps is more accessible to his fans than ever. His official Instagram account (@dextadaps) and YouTube channel provide glimpses into his personal life and creative process, ensuring that his connection with his audience remains strong. As he continues to release new music and collaborate with other artists, Dexta Daps proves that his star in the dancehall sky is far from fading. From Seaview Gardens to the global stage, his journey is a testament to the transformative power of music and perseverance. Showcase your business with a personalized page on McKoy’s News. Highlight your products or services with multiple photos, contact information, and detailed descriptions Capture attention with visually stunning banner ads that promote your brand across our website, reaching a large audience with every click. Tell your story with impactful video advertisements, designed to engage viewers and drive traffic to your business. Gain credibility and visibility with feature articles on McKoy’s News. Share your success stories, latest offerings, and expert insights with our readers. Contact us today and let McKoy’s News be your partner in success.BSF recovers Pak drone with narcotics along Int’l border in Jammu
The 2024 byelections tell a tale of local might
Last Thursday afternoon, Fuller Industries Quality Control Laboratory technicians Pookie Blecha and Randy Liederbach removed small, pastel-colored bottles from a stack of boxes and carefully organized them on shelves in the QC lab. The containers, marked with cryptic labels containing chemical formulas, joined those on other racks lining the walls and others stashed in second-floor rooms. These are product quality control samples, known as retains, held in case customers have questions. They are kept for three years due to Federal Drug Administration guidelines. The samples handled Thursday were of products made by the Canadian manufacturer whose operations were merged into the Great Bend facility. “We are now retaining their retains,” Blecha said, noting there are glass and plastic vials stashed in several nooks and crannies. But they don’t mind, she said. Assuring quality and consistency is a cornerstone of Fuller’s commercial and industrial cleaning product business. The samples, organized according to their formulations, are used to track the viscosity (thickness), pH levels (acidity or basicity) and other aspects of each product, Liederbach said. They are shaken and tested periodically while in storage. “There is a lot that goes into this,” said Joe Mann, Fuller’s vice president and general manager. “It is all pure science. There are extremely stringent regulations, but we also hold ourselves to a very high standard.” But when people think about Fuller, they may not realize all that actually goes on at the plant west of Great Bend, he said. “This is a highly technical business,” he said. “We employ chemists, chemistry technicians, robotics operators and other skilled team members.” That is why the company is teaming up with Great Bend High School and Barton Community College to promote STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) studies. They want to encourage students to pursue these fields and possibly find a career at Fuller. “These areas are only growing in demand,” he said, adding Fuller is expanding and will need employees with these skills. “We want to be on the forefront.” About Fuller Industries Inc. Based in Great Bend, with a rich heritage dating back over a century to the Fuller Brush Man, Fuller Industries is a leading American manufacturer of industrial products, including cleaning chemicals and supplies, as well as brooms, mops, brushes and more. Fuller serves manufacturing, commercial, institutional and agricultural clients across the Western Hemisphere. Call 620-792-1711 or visit Fullerindustriesinc.com .
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Jordan Roberts scored 19 points as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beat Schreiner 103-44 on Sunday. Roberts went 7 of 11 from the field (3 for 4 from 3-point range) for the Islanders (8-6). Dian Wright-Forde scored 14 points while shooting 4 of 7 from the field and 6 for 8 from the line and added three steals. Sheldon Williams shot 5 of 6 from the field and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line to finish with 13 points. The Mountaineers were led by Beau Cervantes, who recorded nine points. Kamden Ross added seven points and three blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Data Skrive.
US agencies should use advanced technology to identify mysterious drones, Schumer saysWeeks before President-elect Donald Trump is to take office, a major rift has emerged among his supporters over immigration and the place of foreign workers in the U.S. labor market. The debate hinges on how much tolerance, if any, the incoming administration should have for skilled immigrants brought into the country on work visas. The schism pits immigration hard-liners against many of the president-elect’s most prominent backers from the technology industry — among them Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who helped back Trump’s election efforts with more than a quarter-billion dollars, and David Sacks, a venture capitalist picked to be czar for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency policy. The tech industry has long relied on foreign skilled workers to help run its companies, a labor supply that critics say undercuts wages for American citizens. The dispute, which late Thursday exploded online into acrimony, finger-pointing and accusations of censorship, frames a policy quandary for Trump. The president-elect has in the past expressed a willingness to provide more work visas to skilled workers, but has also promised to close the border, deploy tariffs to create more jobs for American citizens and severely restrict immigration. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and fervent Trump loyalist, helped set off the altercation this week by criticizing Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan, an Indian American venture capitalist, to be an adviser on artificial intelligence policy. In a post, she said she was concerned that Krishnan, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in India, would have influence on the Trump administration’s immigration policies, and mentioned “third-world invaders.” “It’s alarming to see the number of career leftists who are now being appointed to serve in Trump’s admin when they share views that are in direct opposition to Trump’s America First agenda,” Loomer wrote on the social platform X, which is owned by Musk. Loomer’s comments surfaced a simmering tension between longtime Trump supporters, who embrace his virulent anti-immigrant rhetoric, and his more recently acquired backers from the tech industry, many of whom have built or financed businesses that rely on the government’s H-1B visa program to hire skilled workers from abroad. In response, Sacks called Loomer’s critiques “crude,” while Musk posted regularly this week about the lack of homegrown talent to fill all the needed positions within American technology companies. The expertise U.S. companies need “simply does not exist in America in sufficient quantity,” Musk posted Thursday, drawing a line between what he views as legal immigration and illegal immigration. Throughout the election cycle, Musk helped amplify the debunked theory that the Democratic Party was encouraging immigrants to illegally cross the border to vote, thus replacing American voters. A naturalized citizen born in South Africa, Musk has spoken out frequently against immigration, characterizing it as a threat to national sovereignty and endorsing messages calling noncitizens “invaders.” This week, however, he came out strongly in favor of H-1B visas, which are given to specialized foreign workers. Musk has said he held an H-1B before becoming a citizen, and his electric-car company, Tesla, obtained 724 of the visas this year. H-1B visas are typically for three-year periods, although holders can extend them or apply for green cards. Krishnan, Sacks and Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Loomer, reached by telephone, said she took on the visa issue because she didn’t trust the motivations of Musk and other tech magnates who helped elect Trump. She is worried, she said, that Musk, in particular, would try to use his sway to persuade the incoming president to allow more immigration rather than close the border as she and others on the right would prefer. “He’s not MAGA and he’s a drag on the Trump transition,” said Loomer, who said she believed that Musk was using his relationship with Trump to further enrich himself. “Elon wants everyone to think he’s a hero because he gave $250 million to the Trump campaign. But that’s not much of an investment if it allows him to become a trillionaire.” A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment. Trump said on a podcast co-hosted by Sacks in June that any international student who graduates from an American university “should be able to stay in this country.” The taping followed a San Francisco fundraiser for Trump’s campaign hosted by Sacks. Since then, the leaders of tech companies who rely on skilled foreign labor, including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Jeff Bezos of Amazon and Sundar Pichai of Google, have wooed Trump with calls, visits to Mar-a-Lago — Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida — and donations for his inauguration. That’s a different dynamic from Trump’s first term, which began with the industry’s sweeping condemnation of the first Trump administration’s travel ban suspending the issuance of visas to applicants from seven countries, all of which had Muslim-majority populations. Tech leaders have also been taking an important role in the presidential transition, proposing associates for high-ranking administration positions and advising the president-elect on potential policies and foreign relations. Trump also tapped Musk to serve as co-leader of a new “government efficiency” commission. The rising importance of tech leaders in Trump’s circle is now drawing scrutiny from his base — and even some past rivals. Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who ran for president against Trump and who in the past has called herself the “proud daughter of Indian immigrants,” slammed the tech industry and its leaders as “lazy” for automatically seeking out foreign workers to fulfill their needs. “If the tech industry needs workers, invest in our education system,” she wrote on X on Friday morning. “Invest in our American workforce. We must invest in Americans first before looking elsewhere.” On Friday, Steve Bannon, a longtime Trump confidant, hosted a series of influencers and researchers on his popular “War Room” podcast who critiqued “big tech oligarchs” for supporting the H-1B program and cast immigration as a threat to Western civilization. Others took a more sympathetic stance toward Silicon Valley’s desire to continue bringing in engineers and other skilled workers from abroad. Vivek Ramaswamy, the former Republican presidential candidate who last month was tapped to lead the government efficiency initiative alongside Musk, blamed American culture for creating people ill-suited for skilled tech positions. “The H-1B system is badly broken & should be replaced with one that focuses on selecting the very best of the best,” Ramaswamy said on X on Friday. The rancorous exchange over immigration soon grew to encompass another flashpoint on the right: online speech. Since acquiring what was then called Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion, Musk has characterized himself as a “free speech absolutist.” Among his first acts atop the company was reinstating accounts banned by the previous management, including Loomer’s, which had been taken down in 2018 after sharing anti-Muslim posts. But on Thursday, X temporarily blocked Loomer from posting on the site and removed her verified status, cutting her off from income from paid subscribers. Numerous other accounts reported losing their verified status as well, although only Loomer seems to have been blocked from posting or monetizing her account. Loomer said that starting Friday morning, she was able to post again but still had not regained her verified status. An X spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Loomer, whose account has 1.4 million followers, called it retaliation, pointing out that Musk on Thursday night endorsed a post from a popular pro-tech influencer stating “play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” in reference to Loomer. Loomer called the restriction “censorship.”None
NSW Premier visits Autism Community Network's Autistic Adults Social ClubIndia’s agrarian economy stands at a crossroads, battling rising indebtedness, shrinking incomes and an intensifying climate crisis, the Supreme Court-appointed committee formed to address demands of farmers protesting along the Punjab-Haryana border since February, has emphasised while recommending serious consideration of the farmers’ demand for legal sanctity to the minimum support price (MSP) for crops. The committee, chaired by justice (retd) Nawab Singh, on Friday submitted its report outlining key challenges faced by India’s rural and agrarian sectors, which it described as grappling with an “emerging socio-economic crisis”. The report, accessed by HT, was presented before a bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan on Friday. The bench, while acknowledging the gravity of the issues, underscored the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to resolve the issue. “We are all working for a cause. Let this matter be not taken adversely by anyone,” remarked the bench, which had on September 2 formed the committee. Read more: Govt should fix MSP for stubble and buy it from farmers: Hooda Punjab’s advocate general Gurminder Singh informed the court that farmers were initially sceptical of the committee’s ability to implement substantial changes. He added that one of the protesting farmers’ organisation, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), joined the committee proceedings on November 4 while the state government made all efforts to persuade the farmers to assist the court-appointed panel. However, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and the Haryana government, urged that farmers and their organisations present their concerns directly to the court, adding it was not proper for any of the state governments (Punjab or Haryana) to speak on the behalf of the farmers. The bench adjourned the hearing for two weeks to allow all stakeholders to review the report and submit their recommendations. The committee shone a harsh light on the conditions in the countryside, where average daily farm income stands at a paltry ₹ 27, and debt burdens continue to drive farmers and farm workers into despair. Over four lakh farmer suicides have been recorded in India since 1995, a phenomenon the report attributed primarily to rising indebtedness and shrinking profitability in agriculture. The Green Revolution of the mid-20th century brought initial prosperity but left behind a legacy of stagnation in yields, unsustainable cropping patterns and environmental degradation. According to the report, institutional debt in Punjab and Haryana stands at ₹ 73,673 crore and ₹ 76,630 crore, respectively, with non-institutional debt further exacerbating the burden. While farming employs 46% of the country’s workforce, it contributes a mere 15% to the national income, reflecting a systemic crisis of disguised unemployment and poor returns. The gap between rising production costs and stagnant farm incomes, the report stated, has left small and marginal farmers, who form the majority, particularly vulnerable. Citing climate change, the report said that climate has also emerged as a formidable adversary, with erratic rainfall, heatwaves and depleting water tables creating challenges for food security and farm sustainability. The report also highlighted the compounding issue of crop residue management, with stubble burning contributing to environmental pollution and public health crises. These challenges, it warns, could escalate without urgent policy interventions. Central to the farmers’ demands is the legal sanctity of MSP, a mechanism that guarantees minimum prices for agricultural produce. Addressing this, the report advocated evaluating the legal guarantee for MSP to restore confidence in the farming community. Thus, one of the issues that the panel seeks to delve into, is: “To examine the profitability of farm sector through the mechanism of assuring remunerative prices that includes inter alia minimum support price (MSP), direct income support and other viable approaches. The committee will also examine the demand of farmers for providing legal sanctity to MSP.” The plight of farm workers and marginalised rural communities also found particular mention in the report, which notes that a significant proportion of rural laborers live below the poverty line. “As a matter of fact, rural society as a whole is under severe economic stress,” it lamented. It highlighted the need for comprehensive solutions, including crop diversification, environment-friendly farming and strengthened institutional frameworks to address the multiple crises enveloping the rural economy. “The committee understands that there is a need to have a comprehensive study of the emerging socio-economic crisis in the agrarian and rural economy at the national level as it is bound to have long term implications for the politico-economic stability,” read the report. It also added that the committee strives to recommend appropriate policy measures “to ensure that farmers do not have to sit on protest every now and then.” The committee’s formation followed protests by farmers who, since February, have been blocking highways along the Punjab-Haryana border to demand solutions to their long-standing grievances, including MSP legalisation. One such protest, at Khanauri in February, turned deadly when clashes between farmers and Haryana security forces left 21-year-old Shubhkaran Singh dead. The Haryana government’s appeal against a Punjab and Haryana high court directive to investigate Singh’s death brought the issue to the Supreme Court’s doorstep.AI Competition Heats Up! Nvidia’s Dominance Under Threat?
ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, roughly 22 months after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. "Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia," the center said on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter's death, saying the world lost an "extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian" and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter's work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections and house the homeless as an example for others. "To all of the young people in this nation and 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," Biden said in a statement. Biden spoke later Sunday evening about Carter, calling it a "sad day" but one that "brings back an incredible amount of good memories." "I've been hanging out with Jimmy Carter for over 50 years," Biden said in his remarks. He recalled the former president being a comfort to him and his wife Jill when their son Beau died in 2015 of cancer. The president remarked how cancer was a common bond between their families, with Carter himself having cancer later in his life. "Jimmy knew the ravages of the disease too well," said Biden, who was ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation's highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. "My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference," Carter once said. A president from Plains A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon's disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. "If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don't vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president," Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women's rights and America's global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter's electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 "White House Diary" that he could be "micromanaging" and "excessively autocratic," complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington's news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. "It didn't take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake," Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had "an inherent incompatibility" with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to "protect our nation's security and interests peacefully" and "enhance human rights here and abroad" — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. And then, the world Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. "I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia," Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. "I wanted a place where we could work." That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter's stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors. He went "where others are not treading," he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. "I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don't," Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton's White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America's approach to Israel with his 2006 book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid." And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center's many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee's 2002 Peace Prize cites his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. "The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place," he said. "The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect." 'An epic American life' Carter's globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little "Jimmy Carters," so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington's National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners. He acknowledged America's historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. "I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore," Stuart Eizenstat, Carter's domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. "He was not a great president" but also not the "hapless and weak" caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was "good and productive" and "delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office." Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton's secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat's forward that Carter was "consequential and successful" and expressed hope that "perceptions will continue to evolve" about his presidency. "Our country was lucky to have him as our leader," said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for "an epic American life" spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. "He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history," Alter told The Associated Press. A small-town start James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter's political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery's tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian, would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it "inconceivable" not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. "My wife is much more political," Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn't long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist "Dixiecrats" as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as "Cufflinks Carl." Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. "I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over," he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. 'Jimmy Who?' His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader's home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats' national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: "Jimmy Who?" The Carters and a "Peanut Brigade" of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter's ability to navigate America's complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared "born-again Christian," Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he "had looked on many women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times." The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC's new "Saturday Night Live" show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter "Fritz" Mondale as his running mate on a "Grits and Fritz" ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady's office. Mondale's governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname "Jimmy" even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band's "Hail to the Chief." They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington's social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that "he hated politics," according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Accomplishments, and 'malaise' Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation's second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon's opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn't immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his "malaise" speech, although he didn't use that word. He declared the nation was suffering "a crisis of confidence." By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he'd "kick his ass," but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with "make America great again" appeals and asking voters whether they were "better off than you were four years ago." Reagan further capitalized on Carter's lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: "There you go again." Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages' freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. 'A wonderful life' At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with "no idea what I would do with the rest of my life." Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. "I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything," Carter told the AP in 2021. "But it's turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years." Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. "I'm perfectly at ease with whatever comes," he said in 2015. "I've had a wonderful life. I've had thousands of friends, I've had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence." ___ Sanz is a former Associated Press reporter. Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.
Article content If you’re a fan of the Trailer Park Boys , you already know that Bubbles (played by Mike Smith) has a longstanding love of music. Recommended Videos Since the mockumentary began in 2001, he’s been strumming a guitar in Nova Scotia’s fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park while helping his pals Julian (John Paul Tremblay) and Ricky (Robb Wells) in their various get-rich-quick hijinks, which has included no shortage of dope peddling and other low-key criminal activity. With 16 seasons of their show under their belt and three feature films, their latest big screen adventure, Trailer Park Boys Presents: Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties , finds Bubbles getting to realize his lifelong ambition to front a band and hit the road as a support act for Billy Bob Thornton and The Boxmasters. “ I always dreamed about having a band and then I got a band,” Bubbles tells Postmedia in an interview. “I put an ad up at the local music store. Twelve people showed up, and seven or eight of them were pure s***, so I was left with the rest.” Featuring Bubbles, Julian, Ricky and Randy (Patrick Roach), the spinoff is the first Trailer Park Boys movie since 2014’s Don’t Legalize It . Bubbles says he was invited to join Thornton after the Oscar-winner saw a viral video of him performing live. “W e played at a penitentiary and I accidentally caused a riot and it was up on the TikTok machine. That’s how Billy’s guy saw it. That’s how we got offered the tour,” Bubbles says. In addition to Thornton, the movie features appearances by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, The Hobbit star Martin Freeman and Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan. Speaking in character on a recent afternoon inside Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern, Bubbles, Julian, Ricky and Randy discussed their long-awaited return to movie theatres, Donald Trump’s recent threat to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, and made their predictions for who’s winning the Stanley Cup this season. Bubbles, you’ve always dreamed about being onstage. What was it like to have this dream come true? Bubbles: It’s been unbelievable ... I ended up on tour over in Europe with Billy Bob Thornton and playing at Abbey Road with Ronnie Wood. It’s like living in a dream, basically. Julian and Ricky, Bubbles gets himself in trouble while on tour and the two of you have to go over to Europe and bail him out. So you’re like the superheroes of this story. Julian: We didn’t wear capes, but we definitely had special powers. Bubbles: What superheroes do you know that are drunk and high? Ricky: High Man Julian: And Drunk Man Bubbles: Well there you are. This isn’t just a movie. Bubbles and the S***rockers also have a full-length album out right now called Longhauler . Tell me about that. Bubbles: It’s 13 songs. It came out last month and it’s the best of Bubbles and the S***rockers. I figured I put out a best-of right away. It’s a real record with real songs. Eddie Kramer produced it; he worked with Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones ... two Beatles songs ... we recorded it at my studio, Tabby Road. You guys have been around for almost 25 years Why do people keep coming back? Ricky: I don’t know. It’s weird ... but I think there’s a good message in there. We don’t need a lot to be happy. Life can be simple and we look out for our family and friends. So I think there’s a lot of good things about people who live in a trailer park. Julian: We do what we want, we’re not afraid to do what we want and if we end up in jail it’s not a big deal. I guess that’s where we differ from a lot of people because people are afraid of jail. But that’s just a part of life sometimes ... we do what we want any old time. It’s a song. Almost 25 years after you started this thing did you think you’d still be in the trailer park? Ricky: I did not. It was supposed to be six episodes and it turned into this. Julian: We thought it was a miniseries and then it turned into 25 years later. I’m enjoying it. I think it’s a good time. Lots of perks ... We got free tickets to the Leafs game last night and free booze. Ricky: Now you’re on FansOnly. Bubbles: We’re on all the social medias now. Instagram, Grindr... all of them. Ricky you almost get into a fight with The Hobbit’s Martin Freeman in Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties. Did you know you were about to throw hands with Bilbo Baggins? Bubbles: You threatened to shove a fork through his face, Ricky. Ricky: He was giving me the eye ... Lot of people said he started it. Julian: He doesn’t know how to fight. There are a lot of celebrities in this film. Do you guys get starstruck? Julian: For me and Ricky, if you’re a d***head we don’t like you. Ricky: No one’s better than anyone else. The nice thing about those guys, they felt the same way. They weren’t dicks. They were awesome. Bubbles you pissed yourself when you met Ronnie Wood. Bubbles: I still piss myself. Julian: You’re a groupie Bubs ... you’ve been stalking Paul McCartney for 30 years ... Where you going Monday? Bubbles: I’m going to see him in Madrid. Ricky: That’s stalking. Randy, how is it that you still haven’t been able to find a shirt that doesn’t give you an allergic reaction? Randy: I’ve been to the dermatologist. I’ve been to a few and they still haven’t figured it out. My neck isn’t so bad, it’s by breasts that get really rashy. It does get hard in the Canadian winter, but it’s OK. I do have a little bit of padding. Do you guys make any New Year’s Resolutions? Bubbles: My New Year’s resolution is to never make another New Year’s Resolution for the rest of my life. Julian: Basically retire real soon. It’s gotta happen next year. Ricky: I’m going to stop buying government weed, because I’m always disappointed. Randy: I’m going to make sure I don’t let burger coupons expire. Your 25th anniversary is coming up in 2026. How are you celebrating? Ricky: I should get married. Julian: I’ll try and stay out of jail. Donald Trump wants to make Canada the 51st state. What do you say to that? Bubbles: F*** that. Randy: We’ve got provinces don’t we? Ricky: He’s good at numbers. Julian: Not happening. Do you believe in aliens? Bubbles: One billion percent. Julian: Yes. I actually saw a craft about a month ago. Flew right over my trailer. Ricky: I don’t believe in them. Bubbles: You don’t believe in aliens? It’s mathematically impossible that there’s none. Ricky: I sort of agree, but I need to see one. If you were being shipped off to a desert island, what album would you take with you? Bubbles: You better say Longhauler . Julian: I like Iron Maiden, but if you’re on an island maybe some Bob Marley. Ricky: The (Tragically) Hip’s Fully Completely or Up to Here . Randy: Duran Duran’s Hungry Like the Wolf . Who’s winning the Stanley Cup? Bubbles: The Edmonton Oilers. Julian: The Oilers. Ricky: I think there’s a chance the Cup could be coming back to Canada this year. Winnipeg is on fire. The Oilers look good and the Leafs might actually have a chance. They have some great goaltending and defence ... it would be nice. It’s only been since 1993. Like what the f***? Trailer Park Boys Presents: Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties is now playing in theatres. mdaniell@postmedia.comNoneMumbai, November 23: Ajit Pawar has finally outsmarted his estranged uncle Sharad Pawar not only is proving that the NCP headed by him is a ‘real’ NCP but also by winning more seats in the state Assembly elections. Ajit Pawar, after deserting Sharad Pawar joined the MahaYuti in July 2023 and worked hard to consolidate his party’s presence in the state even after the oss of his wife and party nominee Sunetra Pawar to his estranged cousin and NCP-SP nominee Supriya Sule in the general elections from Baramati. Maharashtra Assembly Election Results 2024: Ajit Pawar-Led NCP Surges Ahead of Uncle Sharad Pawar's NCP. His move to turn pink helped to spread wings in the state. Ajit Pawar travelled extensively across the state to promote Ladki Bahin Yojana in a serious bid to lure women voters. He promised his commitment that the Ladki Bahin Yojana would not be scrapped but it will continue for the next five years after MahaYuti comes back to power. The women voters have overwhelmingly supported Ajit Pawar-led NCP as they went by his resolve and commitment to higher financial assistance under the Ladki Bahin Yojana. Maharashtra Assembly Elections Results 2024: 5 Major Factors That Helped MahaYuti To Win Landslide Victory. Of the 59 seats it contested, the Ajit Pawar faction was locked in a direct battle against the Sharad Pawar group in 40 constituencies across the state. Of the 40 seats, Ajit Pawar led faction won 30 seats while the balance 10 by NCP-SP, BJP and an independent. Ajit Pawar will use his might to further outpace Sharad Pawar in the cooperative sector by demolishing the latter’s supremacy and also in the upcoming local and civic body elections. Today’s victory has also helped Ajit Pawar to further tighten his grip on the party and increase bargaining power with MahaYuti partners as well. It was ‘Pawar vs Pawar’ in the Baramati assembly seat where Ajit Pawar was pitted against his nephew and NCP-SP nominee Yugendra Pawar. Sharad Pawar had focused on his grand nephew’s victory but failed as Ajit Pawar won the seat. In Yevala seat, NCP minister and veteran OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal won defeating the NCP-SP nominee Manikrao Shinde, NCP minister Dilip Walse-Patil against NCP-SP nominee Devdutt Nikam from Ambegaon, Maharashtra Deputy Speaker and NCP nominee Narahari Zirwal won against NCP SP nominee Sunita Charoskar from Dindori, NCP minister Hasan Mushrif emerged victorious defeating NCP-SP nominee Samarjeetsingh Ghatge from Kagal seat and NCP minister Dhananjay Munde won against NCP-SP Rajesaheb Deshmukh from Parli constituency. NCP minister Sanjay Bansode won against NCP-SP nominee Sudhakar Bhalerao from Udgir, NCP nominee Babasaheb Patil Maharashtra Assembly Elections Results 2024, Assembly Elections 2024, Assembly Elections Results 2024, Maharashtra, Maharashtra Assembly Election, Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024, Maharashtra Assembly Elections Results 2024, Maharashtra Assembly Election Result 2024, Maharashtra Election Result 2024, Maharashtra Elections Results 2024 against NCP SP nominee Vinayak Jadhav from Ahmedpur, NCP nominee Sachin Patil against NCP-SP nominee Deepak Chavan from Phaltan, NCP nominee Makrand Patil against NCP SP nominee Aruna Pisal from Wai, NCP nominee Shekhar Nikam against NCP-SP nominee Prashant Yadav from Chiplun, NCP nominee Rajesh Patil against NCP-SP nominee Nandita Babhulkar from Chandgad and NCP nominee Manoj Kayande against NCP-SP nominee Rajendra Shingane from Sindkhedraja Further, NCP SP nominee Raju Koremore retained his seat in Tumsar defeating the NCP-SP nominee Charan Waghmare, NCP minister Dharmaraobaba Atram defeated his daughter and NCP-SP nominee Bhagyashree Atram from Aheri, NCP nominee Sana Malik won against NCP-SP nominee Farhad Ahmed from Anushakti Nagar, NCP nominee Aditi Tatkare against NCP SP nominee Anil Navgane from Shrivardhan, NCP nominee Anna Bansode against NCP-SP nominee Sulakshana Shilwant from Pimpri, NCP nominee Chetan Tupe against NCP-SP nominee Prashant Jagtap from Hadapsar, NCP nominee Kiran Lahamte against NCP-SP nominee Amit Bhangre in Akole, NCP nominee Ashutosh Kale against NCP-SP nominee Sandeep Varpe in Kopargaon, NCP nominee Kashinath Date against NCP-SP nominee Rani Lanke in Parner, NCP nominee Sangram Jagtap against NCP SP nominee Abhishek Kalamkar in Ahmednagar, NCP nominee Prakash Solankea against NCP-SP nominee Mohan Jagtap, NCP nominee Dattatray Bharne against NCP-SP nominee Harshvardhan Patil in Indapur, NCP nominee Dnyaneshwar Katke against NCP-SP nominee Ashok Pawar, NCP nominee Indranil Naik against NCP-SP nominee Sharad Mend in Pusad. In Basmat seat, NCP nominee Raju Navghare won as he defeated NCP-SP nominee Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar while in Sinnar NCP nominee Manikrao Kokate retained his seat defeating NCP-SP nominee Uday Sangle. However, the NCP nominee Atul Benke lost to an independent in Junnar, NCP nominee Sunil Tingre suffered a defeat from NCP-SP nominee Bapusaheb Pathare in Wadgaonkar Sheri and NCP nominee Yogesh Kshirsagar lost to NCP-SP nominee Sandeep Kshirsagar in Beed. In the Ashti constituency, NCP nominee Balasaheb Asbe lost to the BJP nominee while NCP nominee Meenal Sathe lost to NCP-SP nominee Abhijit Patil in Madha. In the Islampur seat, the NCP nominee Nishikant Patil was defeated by the state NCP-SP president Jayant Patil. In the Mumbra-Kalwa seat, NCP nominee Najeeb Mulla suffered defeat from NCP-SP nominee Jitendra Awhad. Similarly, in the Mohol constituency, NCP nominee Yashwant Mane lost to NCP-SP nominee Raju Khare while in the Tasgaon constituency NCP nominee Sanjaykaka Patil was defeated by NCP-SP nominee Rohit Patil. In the Morshi constituency, NCP nominee Devendra Bhuyar was defeated by the BJP nominee. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 23, 2024 10:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com ).Stocks closed higher on Wall Street, giving the market its fifth gain in a row and notching another record high for the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% Friday. The Dow added 1%, and the Nasdaq composite tacked on 0.2%. Retailers had some of the biggest gains. Gap soared after reporting quarterly results that easily beat analysts’ estimates. EchoStar fell after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company’s Dish Network unit. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Crude oil prices gained ground. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Stocks rose on Wall Street in afternoon trading Friday, keeping the market on track for its fifth straight gain. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% and was solidly on track for a weekly gain that will erase most of last week's loss. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 333 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite was essentially flat with a gain of less than 0.1% as of 3:07 p.m. Eastern. Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. “Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement. Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates. Gap soared 10.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 1.5% after raising its earnings forecast for the year. EchoStar fell 2.4% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.8%. A majority of stocks in the S&P 500 were gaining ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies. Nvidia fell 3.3%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.6%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.8% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday. In the crypto market, Bitcoin hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday. Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street. Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending. Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October. The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020. Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday. A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December.
School district defends decision to punish parents for wearing pink 'XX' wristbands
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked states to work towards providing an environment where start-ups can flourish, simplify the compliances that often lead to harassment of citizens and take obesity as a big challenge.Addressing the fourth national conference of chief secretaries here, he said states should reform governance model in such a way that encourages citizen participation, according to an official statement. Modi said it is important to focus on reform, perform, and transform, and that it is also important to inform people about various initiatives of the government. In the health sector, he urged the participants that obesity should be taken as a big challenge in the country. Only a fit and healthy India can be a 'Viksit Bharat', he added. The prime minister said India can be made tuberculosis-free by the end of 2025, and that ASHA and Anganwadi workers can play a big role in delivering this goal. Asserting that old manuscripts were India's treasure, he said states should take steps to use technology to digitize it. He said a great benefit of the conference was that "Team India" had come together for discussion with an open mind and work together for a 'Viksit Bharat'. Pro-People Pro-active Good Governance (P2G2) is at the core of their work through which they can together achieve the vision of a Viksit Bharat, he added. The conference included discussions around the overarching theme of 'Promoting Entrepreneurship, Employment and Skilling --? Leveraging the Demographic Dividend'. Lauding the advent of start-ups, especially in tier-2 and 3 cities, the prime minister asked states to encourage such innovations and work towards providing an environment where start-ups can flourish. "He urged states to identify locations suitable for entrepreneurs in smaller cities and take initiative to connect them with the banking system, provide logistics and facilitate them," the statement said. Modi asked states to explore concepts of Viability Gap Funding for recycling of e-waste. This is particularly important as with increasing data and technology driven society, digital waste will further increase, he said. While appreciating that PM GatiShakti has been a key enabler for good governance, he also said that the initiative must be regularly updated and indicators for environmental impacts, disaster prone areas should be included in it. Talking about Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, he said that competent officers posted in these blocks and districts can bring about massive changes at the ground level. It would also lead to immense socio-economic benefits, he added. Modi also encouraged officials to work for human resources development in order to develop cities as centres of economic growth. He emphasized on developing institutions for specialization in urban governance, water and environment management. With increasing urban mobility, he stressed on providing adequate urban accommodation which would in turn lead to better productivity in the manufacturing sector in new industrial hubs. Noting that it was the death anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Modi lauded him as an inspiration for all civil servants and said that everyone should work towards achieving his dream of India. As men, women and children from all walks of life participated in the freedom struggle despite their different circumstances, ideological differences and different means, similarly every Indian must work towards making Viksit Bharat by 2047, he said. The three-day conference, which ended on Sunday, emphasised on special themes that included manufacturing, services, rural non-farm sector, urban, renewable energy, and circular economy. Various sessions during the conference deliberated to work around subjects which would help in collaborative action in promoting entrepreneurship, enhancing skilling initiatives, and creating sustainable employment opportunities for both rural and urban populations thereby helping in the transition of India from middle income to high income country. These initiatives can emerge as the driving wheels for the economy with women-led development as the foundation, the statement said. The participants discussed that a multifaceted approach is required to harness the potential of India's service sector, especially in smaller cities, it said. This involves a combination of policy interventions, infrastructure development, skill enhancement, and a focus on creating a business-friendly environment, the statement added. Emphasis on skilling and formalization of the informal sector was also discussed. Similarly in the rural non-farm sector, it was discussed that rural entrepreneurship should be promoted through specific skilling courses. It was also felt that women and marginalized groups' participation in non-farm employment should also be encouraged through special incentives, the statement said. The conference had a special session on frontier technologies representing convergence of various fields which can help in providing solutions to global challenges. It also could provide India an opportunity to lead in this arena and have a trajectory of inclusive and sustainable growth, the statement said. The conference was attended by chief secretaries, senior officials of all states and Union territories, domain experts and senior officers in the Centre, it said.
The White House has identified a ninth U.S. telecom network that Chinese state hackers have compromised, a senior official said on Dec. 27. Anne Neuberger, deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, revealed the new information in a press briefing as officials continue to assess the scope of the cybersecurity breach from China’s state-backed Salt Typhoon hacking group, which has carried out a wide-ranging espionage campaign since 2022. “Our understanding is that a large number of individuals were geolocated in the Washington DC, Virginia area,” she said. Only a fraction of them had their communications affected, Neuberger said, as the hackers are more interested in eavesdropping on U.S. government officials. “The scale we’re talking about is far larger on the geolocation, probably less than 100 on the actual individuals,” she said. Shortly after the briefing, the Justice Department issued a final rule naming China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela as countries of concern over their ambitions to exploit sensitive U.S. personal and government-related data by bulk. Under the rule, certain individuals and groups whom authorities deemed as threat actors are barred from transactions involving six types of U.S. data, including certain personal identifiers such as social security numbers or government identification numbers, precise geolocation data, biometric identifiers, human genetic or molecular data, personal health data, and personal financial data. The regulation applies to entities over which China has an ownership of 50 percent or more, those that principally conduct business in China or are organized under Chinese law, their contractors and employees, and foreign individuals who primarily reside in China. The hacking group has targeted now-Vice President-elect JD Vance and now-president-elect Donald Trump, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris. To deter Chinese hacking attempts, Neuberger said, the first step is to build a “defensible infrastructure.” “We wouldn’t leave our homes, our offices unlocked, and yet our critical infrastructure, the private companies owning and operating our critical infrastructure often do not have the basic cybersecurity practices in place,” she said in the press call. Authorities are also scrutinizing government contracts to enforce stricter cybersecurity practices, Neuberger said. In doing so, she said, the United States is following in the footsteps of Australia and the UK. “The nation’s secrets, the nation’s economy, lies on our telecommunications sector,” she said. “When I talked with our UK colleagues and I asked, ‘Do you believe your regulations would have prevented the Salt Typhoon attack?’ their comment to me was, we would have found it faster, we would have contained it faster.” Neuberger said it was a “powerful message.” “Those networks are not as defensible as they need to be to defend against a well resourced, capable offensive cyber actor like China,” Neuberger said. In assessing the Salt Typhoon breach, she said, authorities have found one administrator account that had access to more than 100,000 routers. “So when the Chinese compromised that account, they gained that kind of broad access across the network,” she said. Neuberger said officials are looking to segment the telecom networks so that in the event of a cyber attack, the potential damage could be contained. The Federal Communications Commission on Dec. 5 proposed cybersecurity rules requiring communications service providers to certify annually that they have a plan to protect against cyberattacks. The rule is waiting for a vote by Jan. 15, Neuberger said, noting that they are eager to see bipartisan support across the commission to see it through. The Chinese were “very careful about their techniques. They erased logs,” she said. And as “we will never know regarding the scope and scale of this,” she said, the United States is “looking forward.” Neuberger said more actions will be coming out in the next few months. “Let’s lock down this infrastructure. And frankly, let’s hold the Chinese accountable for this,” she said.Gus Atkinson claimed a superb hat-trick as England took command of the second Test against New Zealand , knocking over the home side’s tail in style. The Surrey seamer took out Nathan Smith, Matt Henry and Tim Southee with three successive deliveries, the 15th time an English bowler has achieved the feat in Test cricket. Atkinson turned the heat on the Black Caps in his ninth over, racking up three different modes of dismissal to end their innings on 125 and hand the tourists a lead of 155. The 26-year-old uprooted Smith’s middle stump with the third ball of his over, then had Henry backing away from a short ball that he fended to Ben Duckett at gully. Last man Tim Southee stood between Atkinson and a place in the history books but had no answer as the ball came full and straight, smashing his front pad dead in front of middle stump. Southee reviewed the lbw decision in hope more than expectation but England’s celebrations were already well under way. Rod Tucker raised his finger for a second time to seal the deal, with Atkinson registering the 50th Test hat-trick in world cricket – 47 in the men’s game and three in the women’s. The last player to get one was South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj in 2021, with Moeen Ali the most recent to do so for England, against the Proteas at the Oval in 2017. Stuart Broad took two in his career, making Atkinson the 14th England player on the list. Brydon Carse had earlier dismissed Tom Blundell and Will O’Rourke in the space of three deliveries as New Zealand lost their last five batters for 39.No. 22 St. John's, Georgia pack busy schedule with game on SundayLetter: Voice your support for the library
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 6, 2024-- Palantir and Anduril, two leading companies at the intersection of commercial technology and national security, are launching a new consortium to ensure that the U.S. government leads the world in artificial intelligence. Our goal is to deliver the technological infrastructure, from the edge to the enterprise, that can enable our government and industry partners to transform America’s world-leading AI advancements into next-generation military and national security capabilities. This partnership is focused on solving two main problems that limit the adoption of AI for national security purposes. The first is data readiness. Most useful national security data— government data that are collected and created by sensors, vehicles, weapons, and robots at the tactical edge—are not retained for AI training and algorithm development. Exabytes of defense data, indispensable for AI training and inferencing, are currently evaporating. What should be America’s ultimate asymmetric advantage over our adversaries is instead our biggest lost opportunity. To solve this, we will utilize Anduril’s Lattice software system and the Anduril Menace family of deployable compute and communications systems to instrument the tactical edge for the government’s secure, large-scale data retention and distribution. Lattice connects directly with third-party defense systems at the edge, delivers autonomy to machine operations, securely distributes their information across a large-scale data mesh, and backhauls all tactical data into government enclaves for the purposes of AI training and inferencing. Menace devices are also purpose-built for the tactical edge, customized down to the silicon level for the unique requirements of national security operations in tactical environments—including, soon, next- generation encryption. The second problem that we seek to solve exists when processing data at scale. Even with national security data that are retained, no secure enterprise pipeline exists to turn that data into AI capabilities. U.S. companies are developing world-leading models but struggling to deploy them at scale with government partners for defense applications. To solve that, we will utilize Palantir’s AI Platform (AIP) to deliver a cloud-based data management and AI development capability that operates at the hyper-scale of commercial industry while meeting the unique requirements of national security. This will enable the structuring, labeling, and preparation of defense data for AI training and development at all levels of classification, including Secure Compartmented Information (SCI) and Special Access Programs (SAP). Palantir’s AIP provides a seamless interface for commercial and government AI developers to conduct imitation and reinforcement learning. It also provides a secure pipeline to deploy, retrain, and redeploy those AI models onto national security systems—a process made even easier, faster, and more reliable through the integration with Anduril’s unique edge capabilities. We will also provide a rapid and ready mechanism to operationalize these new AI capabilities directly through defense production programs that are already fielded. Maven Smart System, powered by the Palantir Platform, provides an enterprise mission command platform that integrates large-scale operational data and utilizes AI-based capabilities to improve and accelerate human decision-making across joint missions, such as intelligence and fires. Similarly, Anduril’s Lattice software platform provides an edge-based mission autonomy platform that integrates directly with robotic systems and utilizes AI-based capabilities to automate and orchestrate their conduct of joint missions, such as air defense and reconnaissance. Anduril and Palantir are joining these complementary systems together, providing a seamless operational capability from the edge to the enterprise that serves as a deployment platform for new AI applications that anyone can build. This platform is already in place and in use by Anduril and Palantir for their own corporate purposes and with government contracts that enables this work to begin immediately. Ultimately, Palantir and Anduril expect to expand the partnership to other industry partners that have unique contributions to make to this unique mission. No single company is capable of delivering on the promise of AI for national security. It takes a team of companies that are willing and able to ensure that the U.S. government remains the world leader in fielding advanced technologies that keep our citizens safe. About Anduril Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice, an AI software platform that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years. For more information, visit www.anduril.com. About Palantir Technologies Inc. Foundational software of tomorrow. Delivered today. Additional information is available at https://www.palantir.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements may relate to, but are not limited to, Palantir or management’s expectations regarding the timing and benefits of the transfer of its common stock listing to Nasdaq, including Palantir’s potential eligibility or inclusion in market indices, which cannot be predicted or quantified with certainty. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and were based on current expectations as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management as of that time with respect to future events. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. Additional information regarding these risks and uncertainties is included in the filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments, or otherwise. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241206684306/en/ CONTACT: Palantir Contact: media@palantir.comAnduril Contact: Media@anduril.com KEYWORD: COLORADO UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY SECURITY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT SOFTWARE INTERNET WHITE HOUSE/FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DATA ANALYTICS DATA MANAGEMENT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Palantir Technologies Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/06/2024 05:00 PM/DISC: 12/06/2024 05:02 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241206684306/en
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