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![A culTp/Zq2e UwQ| a7`b]VfP§,SFlA*JP.'S4Tg0 @_e pW*6bjJb$â` 3bI!:䪏RqE5 5^N1-#G&X](https://www.marketbeat.com/logos/cryptocurrencies/veritaseum-VERI.png?v=2022-10-05)
A culTp/Zq2e UwQ| a7`b]VfP§,SFlA*JP.'S4Tg0 @_e pW*6bjJb$â` 3bI!:䪏RqE5 5^N1-#G&XThe other evening a good friend and I were sitting around, enjoying each other’s company as seniors will do, when the topic of what hunting will be like 30 years in the future came up. We have both been around enough years to witness many changes in hunting in Pennsylvania. We remember when safety orange wasn’t mandatory. A hunter could only tag one deer per year. Antlerless permits were hard to come by. Crossbows were illegal. Small game was abundant, and fur prices were high. In some ways, it was the good old days. In other ways, today is better. Our biggest concern was the ever-increasing age of the average hunter here in Pennsylvania, now over 50 years of age and getting higher. As these older hunters drop out, and fewer young hunters taking up the pastime, what changes will be necessary? Let’s start with funding. While it’s true the Pa. Game Commission makes money from timber sales and mineral rights, both of which are a product of the state gamelands system, with fewer and fewer hunters buying licenses how long will it be before the taxpayer, not the hunter, will be saddled with the expense incurred by the commission? The only answer will be extra and increased taxes, just like most other states, so get ready to open your wallet. As trapper numbers go down, who is going to control muskrat and beaver populations? My guess is the government will need to somehow pay either to manage these species or at least to repair the damage to roadways caused by an over-abundance of rodent erosion. Will the remaining hunters be asked to control the deer population, or will paid sharpshooters be needed? Pennsylvania already holds top honors for most deer/auto collisions in the nation. Who will farmers go to for help if crop damage is out of control? Will the loss of license money cause the state to sell off state game lands? These properties are now paid for by the hunter, but are open to all to enjoy. It would be a shame for them to disappear. Will there be an overpopulation of bears, leading to more bear/human conflicts? Will diseases such as rabies, distemper, and mange run rampant as nature replaces the hunter? Will fewer people be interested in protecting our woods and waterways if they no longer have a personal interest in protecting them? Or will we simply turn them into more shopping centers? Will organizations such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and Ducks Unlimited, which spend thousands on land improvement and preservation, cease to exist? Then again, maybe life will be like a Disney movie and somehow suddenly everything will be great and mankind and nature will go skipping away hand in hand. What will the next 30, 50 or 100 years bring? Only time will tell, my friend, but until then we can only guess.
What could change with the latest VA Disability Reform Bill that made the House?After a childhood marked by family violence, exposure to drug abuse and a school expulsion, a little boy received his first invitation to a birthday party. or signup to continue reading The 10-year-old, one of four siblings living with their mother in far west NSW, had found his first best friend. Despite their challenges, the family made the seven-hour trip to Manly, a beachside suburb in Sydney, to seek help at health service Royal Far West. The charity's clinicians treated the child's behavioural issues, care he would have waited years to access in his rural home town. Chief executive Jacqui Emery met the family in her first week in the job in 2021 and they became her beacon as she led the mission to care for one child at a time. "The mother said, 'You've saved our lives, you've saved his life," Ms Emery told AAP. "That's what we mean by one child at a time." The national charity, which connects rural and remote children with a variety of healthcare, will mark its centenary in December. Cobar-based reverend and carpenter Stanley Drummond founded the service in 1924, inspired by time he spent recovering from surgery at Manly Beach. It has always aimed to "go where the system stops", using developing technology to ensure no child or community is out of reach. Aviation pioneer Nancy Bird Walton flew nurses to remote outstations in her Gipsy Moth from 1935, while Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was a major donor. In its early days, the charity hosted seaside camps for children from outback NSW. When a group arrived in Manly on a rainy December day in 1948, a girl from Menindee was asked whether she brought the weather with her. "Her slightly sardonic reply was, 'There's no rain up there to bring'," The Sydney Morning Herald reported. An eight-year-old shearer's son successfully treated for a stutter in the 1950s was chosen to deliver Australia's message to the Queen in a BBC round-the-world Christmas broadcast. "I came down because I could hardly talk properly," the boy's message said. "Mummy, listen! I'm coming home. I can talk beaut now." Two decades later Queen Elizabeth II visited the organisation, granting its Royal title. The international recognition and ongoing backing from high-profile Australians is down to the charity's links to the heart of the country, Ms Emery said. "It's such an Australian story," she said. "It is about the outback and children that are more needy than others - that's always captured people." From the adoption of advances like splints to treat childhood hip disorders, swivel walkers and aeromedical services, Royal Far West was also an early user of telehealth in 2013. Video and telephone calls allowed city clinicians to stay in touch with rural patients, deliver programs to far-flung schools and expand into states outside NSW. The uptake of telehealth was due to greater understanding of developmental disorders, with country-born children twice as likely to be affected. "That leaves a bit of a legacy: it's been able to help much more broadly than just a one-to-one with a child." The charity is now working in a rapidly-changing world, as global warming dramatically fractures childhoods. Disaster recovery programs, like one rolled out to bolster the wellbeing of 3000 children after the Black Summer bushfires, will become even more significant in years to come. "We need to put the focus, the funding and the policies around these things right now," Ms Emery said. "It's really important to remember that children are often the silent victims." DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementHow major US stock indexes fared Monday, 12/2/2024
Michelin-starred chef appeals to thieves after £25,000 worth of pies stolenFROM their perches of utmost detachment, multilateral institutions such as the World Bank often offer unsolicited advice in the name of good and efficient governance. From a purely theoretical standpoint, the advice makes sense. The latest piece of advice on governance from the World Bank, that polity should work harder to strengthen the local government units (LGUs) and the decision-making powers of LGU leaders, is definitely sound advice in a country with a 100 percent commitment to the norms of liberal democracy. And where there is also 100 percent adherence to the normative practices of good governance. Definitely not in the Philippine setting where LGU power is so overwhelming — and prone to abuse — that decision-making by the leaders usually breaches the boundaries of good governance and basic political propriety. (Politeness pushed me not to write " decision-making influenced by unbridled corruption.") Take the case of the proliferation of the POGOs before the total ban ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. And the first question related to the proliferation of POGOs, both legal and illegal, is this: What environment allowed the POGOs to proliferate in many nooks and corners of the country? Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.Fantasy Football Championship game PPR Cheat Sheet: Updated player ratings to guide your toughest lineup callsAs a talented student-athlete at North Bergen High just over 20 years ago and then a four-year basketball player at Ramapo College, Noel Colon knew a little something about impassioned rivalries. Or at least the Shabazz athletic director thought he did. “I wouldn’t have believed it if you told me four years ago when I took this job that people would care more about the Soul Bowl than they do about a state championship, but I’ve seen it for myself,” Colon said last Thursday - one day before the Bulldogs were to face Hanover Park in the NJSIAA Group 2 semifinals and exactly one week prior to that annual Thanksgiving Day Soul Bowl against Newark South Ward rival Weequahic. “I’ve gotten more ticket requests about the Soul Bowl than I have for the game at Hanover Park. I’ve gotten, I don’t know, about 15 to 20 phone calls a day since Monday about the Soul Bowl,” he said. For those not in the know, Shabazz (10-2) gutted out an 8-7 victory over Hanover Park behind the heroics of Daveion Porter, Omari Gaines and Zaiden McDonald, sending the Bulldogs to their first appearance in an overall football state final, yet probably not slowing the pace of Soul Bowl requests that Colon will be fielding come Monday morning. “It’s just incredible to me; nothing I ever knew before,” Colon said. “Last week the calls were like, ‘Congrats on the win (in the North 1 sectional final Nov. 15) and good luck Friday. But you’ve got to go beat Weequahic!' ” Those earnest pleas have grown all the more intense in recent years now that Weequahic has won the last four meeting - and convincingly - to narrow its series deficit to 34-25-6. Shabazz and Weequahic - separated by just two miles - will battle for the 66th time at 10 a.m. Thursday at Shabazz Stadium. The Bulldogs will face Rumson-Fair Haven for the Group 2 title Dec. 4, likely at Rutgers University. East Orange found itself in the identical situation last week as it prepared for its Group 5 semifinal clash with 10th-ranked Union City while also fielding inquiries about the upcoming Thanksgiving Day game against Barringer. Those two square off in the 112th holiday meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday at Paul Robeson Stadium in East Orange. These four are the last in Essex County schools to still partake in a Thanksgiving Day exercise that used to be conducted by almost every football team in New Jersey. That tradition has faded steadily in the last two decades, and is now reduced to 19 games throughout the state, and two of those will be played Wednesday night. Annual East Orange-Barringer Old Guard Dinner will be held Wednesday evening in Union. Courtesy East Orange HS Unlike Shabazz now with double-barreled goals in the sights of its hunting musket, East Orange (9-3) can focus solely upon Barringer (0-8) as the Jaguars look to claim a 14th consecutive win over their ancient Newark rival and extend the series advantage to 64-39-9. That’s an awful lot of history between those two schools, and no doubt a great deal of it will be summoned for stories at the annual Old Guard Dinner at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Galloping Hill Caterers in Union. What percentage of those old war stories of past encounters and stars will be 100 percent accurate will be up for debate right up to the opening comments. But that’s half the fun. “It’s a great night for the old-timers to get together and reminisce about the games, but we’re also trying to get the younger guys involved to keep this tradition going,” said Abdul Hassan, a main organizer of the affair and a former athletic director at East Orange. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Old Guard Dinner was a completely virtual function in 2020 and 2021. That helped keep the rivalry relevant, and the participation numbers have been climbing since it was restored as an in-person gathering in 2022. For information on the Wednesday’s Old Guard Dinner, contact Stefanie Cuff-White at 908-249-2412 or Monique Munford at 973-609-9993. Weequahic and Shabazz square off in the annual Soul Bowl 10 a.m . Thanksgiving Day at Shabazz Stadium Courtesy Shabazz HS Weequahic and Shabazz also will continue a proud pre-game tradition by holding their annual Unity Dinner, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at Shabazz. Before that friendly gathering will be a Shabazz practice session expected to be just as spirited and physical even with a state. championship game on its horizon. “We need to go in there with the same mentality, same level of focus as we normally would because of what this game means to the community,” Colon said. “You lose that game, you’re gonna hear it for 365 days.” In the win against Hanover Park, Porter, a senior receiver, scored on a 1-yard run to cap the Bulldogs' opening drive, then hit McDonald with a conversion pass for what proved to be the decisive points. The offense - engineered by senior QB Romelo Tables - was not as explosive as it had been in previous tournament games, but a defense anchored by Gaines, Zykir Best, Adekunbi Adetayo, Sahaaj Bennett and McDonald held its ground in key moments. Weequahic (3-6) will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak behind junior QB Paul Jones III, senior running backs Ja’Shyne Hayes and Reynaldo Carter and junior receiver Tyshaun Boyd. The Indians have produced just 37 points over those last four games, so will need an exceptional defensive outing from Sajani Millwood, Elijah Jonson, Mekhi Armour and the rest of that crew, and perhaps a few fortunate breaks with turnovers. East Orange would have entered its game against Barringer as a heavy favorite, though may not know until Monday the status of senior quarterback Sa’eed Cole, who sustained an injury against Union City that knocked him out of the game. Even still, East Orange would be predicted to extend its streak against the Blue Bears with Shakur Taylor, Tyshawn Sewell, Alex Hanks, Darell James and Semaj Toney-El looking to pick up the slack for Cole behind the blocks of Shaheem DeZonie, Wazyn King, Standley Petidor, Alvins Collin and Christian Russell. Barringer will be entering with a 15-game losing streak dating back to last season and with an offense that has generated only 20 total points over the last six games. The Blue Bears will need a stellar effort from their defense, led by linebackers Ahmad and Ahmir Norman and Demetrius Penn, DLs Greg Dixon and Olatokunbo Jayeola, and defensive backs Nasire Cooper and Deron Abnathya. Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com . The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)
John F. Kennedy’s “Profiles in Courage” is a wonderful book and rightly earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1957 despite his father Joseph P. Kennedy’s influence on the Pulitzer board at Columbia and even though it has been universally acknowledged to have been largely written by longtime Kennedy aide and confidant Ted Sorensen who went to his grave in 2010 still graciously refusing to acknowledge his massive input and authorship. For an objective and unbiased academic take on the 2024 election and President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial cabinet appointments, please see my “Voice of Baltimore” online commentary ( ) which emphasizes that none of Trump’s appointees will make policy, but will be administrators who will carry out the orders of the White House ( Dec. 4). Anyone who steps out of line will be reprimanded and/or fired and replaced by Deputy Chief of Policy Stephen Miller. — Alan Z. Forman, BaltimoreWhat could change with the latest VA Disability Reform Bill that made the House?
American strategic deceptionAccording to renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 18 Pro, expected in September 2026, might introduce a variable aperture for its main camera. Kuo, known for his accurate Apple predictions, suggests this feature could enhance the iPhone’s photographic capabilities. What Is Variable Aperture Technology? Variable aperture allows a camera to adjust the size of its lens opening to control the amount of light entering the sensor. Wider Apertures: Ideal for low-light scenarios and creating a shallow depth of field, resulting in naturally blurred backgrounds and foregrounds. Narrower Apertures: Ensures more of the scene is in focus, but allows less light into the sensor. While not a groundbreaking innovation, variable aperture technology has already been used in some Android smartphones. For instance: Samsung introduced it with the Galaxy S9 and S10. Huawei’s Mate 50 Pro enhanced the feature by offering multiple aperture settings. Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra further refined the system, offering aperture control from f/1.42 to f/4.0. This technology is particularly appealing to photography enthusiasts, though it remains a niche feature, making its presence on a Pro iPhone logical. What to Expect from the iPhone 18 Pro Kuo’s report, supported by BE Semiconductor insights, highlights that the iPhone 18 Pro will likely debut this feature. While earlier rumors hinted at variable aperture coming with the iPhone 17 Pro, the timeline now points to 2026. BE Semiconductor is expected to provide the equipment for the aperture blade system. Despite this, variable aperture remains an uncommon addition, and there is some skepticism about whether Apple will implement it soon. Although this feature was previously rumored for the iPhone 17 models, it now appears that Apple plans to introduce it with the iPhone 18 Pro, anticipated to launch in September 2026. Is Variable Aperture Necessary for the iPhone Pro? Adding variable aperture to the iPhone Pro lineup would undoubtedly generate excitement, especially if paired with innovative software to leverage its potential. However, other aspects of the iPhone’s camera system may deserve more attention: Light Reflections: iPhones have long struggled with reflections when direct light hits the camera, often ruining photos and videos. Zoom Improvements: While optical zoom quality is decent, Apple could significantly improve its performance at higher zoom levels beyond the hardware’s current capabilities. If Apple introduces variable aperture, it could be a valuable addition, but resolving existing camera challenges might resonate more with users. ALSO READ: Apple’s 2025 Smart Lock Revolution, Face ID Integration For Your Home
Van Nistelrooy returned to Old Trafford as Erik ten Hag’s assistant in the summer and had a four-game interim spell in charge following his compatriot’s sacking in October. He left the club in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s appointment but was only out of work for two weeks after being appointed Leicester’s new manager on a deal until 2027. The 48-year-old had a glittering playing career with United and was disappointed his return had to end so soon. “The moment I took over the interim job what I said was I’m here to help United and to stay to help United, and I meant it,” he said. “So I was disappointed, yeah, very much so, and it hurt I had to leave. “The only job I would take as an assistant was at United because of the bond that I have with the people in the club and the fans. “But in the end I got my head around it because I also understand the new manager. I’m in football long enough, and I’ve managed myself, that you can think of a situation, me being there, I understand. “I spoke to Ruben about it, fair enough to him, the conversation was grateful, man to man, person to person, manager to manager, and that helped a lot to move on and straightaway get into talks with new possibilities which of course lifted my spirits.” The Dutchman takes on a difficult job at the King Power Stadium as he is tasked with keeping Leicester in the Premier League. He inherits an influential dressing room, which has seen a number of managers come and go over the last few years. Ruud's here for his first press conference as our Manager 😃 pic.twitter.com/A4Juixvorb — Leicester City (@LCFC) December 2, 2024 Van Nistelrooy revealed he has done his due diligence and also let the players know as well. “It’s the only way you can work. It’s mutual respect. I also mentioned to the players yesterday that I looked at the squad and started to make phone calls about players, because in football everyone knows everyone,” he said. “With two or three phone calls you hear stories about 20 players and for me it was important that you hear there are good characters there. That’s important, that there are good people there. “I look at the players how they play. I obviously don’t know them but I got general information and the individuals that they are a good bunch of people. That was important for me to get in.”
Video threatening of violence during Maha Kumbh turns up on X, case filed in UP’s PilibhitMORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Zac Alley is being reunited with Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia. Rodriguez, who was hired for his second stint as West Virginia's coach on Dec. 12, announced Sunday that he hired the 31-year-old Alley as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. “Zac is one of the top young defensive coordinators in the country and has proven his ability to lead and be an innovator at different stops during his career,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “I have worked with him several seasons, and he constantly impresses me with his ability to blend schemes with his personnel and develop winning results.” Under Rodriguez, Alley spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Jacksonville State. Alley was the youngest defensive coordinator in the Bowl Subdivision at Louisiana-Monroe in 2021 when Rodriguez was the Warhawks’ offensive coordinator. In Alley’s lone season at Oklahoma, the Sooners ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference in total defense, allowing 318 yards per game. “I have tremendous respect for Coach Rod, as I’ve seen how he develops players and builds a program,” Alley said. “I look forward to working with the players and doing my part to help WVU be one of the top teams in the Big 12 Conference and the nation.” Alley worked under Oklahoma coach Brent Venables as a graduate assistant at Clemson from 2015 to 2018 when Venables was defensive coordinator and linebackers coach there. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
It's been a long year for the tight end position. It's been a long year for the Cleveland Browns . David Njoku stands out as a glimmer of positivity for both. And last week, we found out that's true even with Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback. In Week 16, Njoku caught eight of 10 targets for 66 yards and 14.6 PPR Fantasy points. For the year, he now ranks as TE4, averaging 13.1 PPR Fantasy points per game. In Week 17, Njoku has a mediocre matchup against the Dolphins , but he still projects as a top-five tight end. I would start him over Travis Kelce , Mark Andrews , and Sam LaPorta . I would also start Njoku over any streamer you might find on the waiver wire. But that doesn't mean there aren't good streaming options available for this week. I make my case for Chigoziem Okonkwo and Dalton Schultz in the waiver wire section below. Here's everything else you need to know about tight end in Week 17: The following players are not being projected to play in Week 17 at this time. Here's what it means: 21 -- Chig Okinkwo has seen 21 targets in his last two games. 32% -- David Njoku led the Browns with a 32% target share in his Week 15 return. 7 -- Dalton Schultz has seven or more targets in three of his last five games. 45 -- Travis Kelce has produced 45 yards or fewer in three straight games. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 10. 0 -- Remarkably, Trey McBride still has zero receiving touchdowns. Kyler Murray has assured us that will change soon. My full set of Week 17 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine . You can find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 17. Projected stats for all starting tight ends are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine .
New Delhi, December 24: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday made an explosive charge in the run-up to Delhi Assembly elections, claiming that his political rivals are on a 'vote-buying spree' in his New Delhi constituency. Kejriwal took to his social media handle on X to drop the bombshell. “These people have already started buying votes in my Vidhan Sabha constituency. They are openly giving Rs 1000 in cash per vote,” he wrote while levelling a direct charge of using money power to influence the impending elections. The explosive charges by the former Delhi CM come on the back of a political face-off between AAP and BJP over alleged voters’ list deletion controversy. AAP claims that BJP has undertaken an orchestrated state-wide drive to delete the names of voters from the electoral rolls, particularly in its stronghold on false grounds and petitioning before the Election Commission for the same. BJP in its counter-charge says that this is not a ploy but a ‘rightful’ exercise to alert the poll panel on ‘fake voters’. 'Arvind Kejriwal Bhagwan Hain': Avadh Ojha Calls AAP Leader 'God', Says 'He Is Incarnation of Lord Krishna' (Watch Video) . While the ruling AAP and rival BJP engage in a slugfest over voters’ list deletion row, the fresh charge by Kejriwal is set to send the political temperatures soaring. Meanwhile, Congress has also mounted a scathing attack on the AAP dispensation accusing it of not just wasting umpteen opportunities to cash in on the city’s growth index but rather bringing it to a grinding halt with its series of scams and scandals. ‘Aarop Patra’: BJP Releases Political ‘Chargesheet’ Against AAP Supremo Arvind Kejriwal, State Government Ahead of Delhi Assembly Elections 2025 (Watch Video) . Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Maken declared that Congress will bring a white paper on Wednesday to expose the misdeeds and wrongdoings of the Delhi government. “It will be released tomorrow, 25th December at 11 a.m. in a press conference by the Delhi Congress president and me. This programme and talk will be held at the party office,” he posted on X. With Assembly elections slated in Delhi for early next year, the Kejriwal-led AAP is set to face heat from both BJP and Congress, though it has also dug in its heels, with the party supremo leading from the front. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2024 09:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com ).LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 29, 2024-- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) mourns the death of United States President Jimmy Carter, a champion in the human rights movement. In February 2023, Carter, then 98, entered hospice care at his Georgia home. He died there earlier today at 100, the longest-lived president in U.S. history, having recently marked his centennial birthday October 1 st. Carter and his wife Rosalynn brought worldwide attention—as well as their own physical labor—to the need for safe, affordable housing through their eponymous Carter Work Project in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity. Since 1984, the Carters reportedly helped house more than 4,300 families in 14 countries around the world. First Lady Rosalynn Carter passed away in November 2023 at the age of 96 during President Carter’s tenure in home hospice. The Carters also worked tirelessly to improve global public health. Their not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center, has focused on fighting six preventable diseases, including malaria. In March 2024, the Center announced its success in nearly eradicating Guinea worm disease with only 14 cases reported in 2023. “We mourn and remember former President Jimmy Carter today as a human rights champion for his tireless, lifelong work on civil rights, social justice, health care, affordable housing, and more—far beyond the reach and accomplishment of most men and often done with far more humility than many other public figures of his stature,” said Michael Weinstein , founder and president of AHF, which also operates the housing advocacy group, Housing Is A Human Right ( HHR ). “Jimmy Carter had a fundamental understanding that housing is a human right and that human rights must be a cornerstone of American domestic and foreign policy. We offer our condolences to the entire Carter family as well as our gratitude to Mr. Carter for his decency, vision, and tenacity in helping those less fortunate.” AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global HIV and AIDS organization, provides medical care and/or services to more that 2 million individuals in 47 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website , find us on Facebook , follow us on IG and Twitter , or subscribe to our “AHFter Hours” podcast. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241023544959/en/ CONTACT: Ged Kenslea, AHF Sr. Comms Dir. +1.323.791.5526gedk@aidshealth.orgW. Imara Canady, National Director, Communications & Community Engagement for AHF +1.770.940.6555Imara.Canady@aidshealth.org KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA GEORGIA EUROPE UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT INFECTIOUS DISEASES FOUNDATION PHILANTHROPY CELEBRITY CONSUMER ENTERTAINMENT RESIDENTIAL BUILDING & REAL ESTATE CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY AIDS HEALTH OTHER PHILANTHROPY WHITE HOUSE/FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS ADVOCACY GROUP OPINION SOCIAL ACTIVISM SENIORS SOURCE: AIDS Healthcare Foundation Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/29/2024 05:40 PM/DISC: 12/29/2024 05:39 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241023544959/en
THE HAGUE (AP) — The world’s top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the 13-month war in Gaza. The warrants said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny. The action by the International Criminal Court came as the death toll from Israel’s campaign in Gaza passed 44,000 people, according to local health authorities, who say more than half of those killed were women and children. Their count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Experts say hunger has become widespread across Gaza and may have reached famine levels in the north of the territory, which is under siege by Israeli troops. Israel says it has been working hard to improve entry of aid, though the trickle of supplies into Gaza remains near the lowest levels of the war. Netanyahu condemned the warrant against him, saying Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions” by the court. In a statement released by his office, he said: “There is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza.” Gallant, in a statement, said the decision "sets a dangerous precedent against the right to self-defense and moral warfare and encourages murderous terrorism.” The warrant marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice. The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects, putting them at risk of arrest when they travel abroad and potentially further isolating them . Israel and its top ally, the United States, are not members of the court. But others of Israel's allies, including some of its close European friends, are put in an awkward position. Several, including France, welcomed the court's decision and signaled they might arrest Netanyahu if he visited. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden's administration was “deeply concerned by the prosecutor’s rush to seek arrest warrants and the troubling process errors that led to this decision.” The warrants represent "the most dramatic step yet in the court’s involvement in the conflict between Israel and Hamas," said Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Israeli leaders, politicians and officials across the spectrum denounced the warrants and the ICC. The new defense minister, Israel Katz, who replaced Gallant earlier this month, said Thursday’s decision is “a moral disgrace, entirely tainted by antisemitism, and drags the international judicial system to an unprecedented low.” Human rights groups applauded the move. The warrants against both sides “break through the perception that certain individuals are beyond the reach of the law,” the associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch, Balkees Jarrah, said in a statement. The decision came six months after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the warrants. The court issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ armed wing, over the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered Israel’s offensive in Gaza. It said it found reasonable grounds to believe Deif was involved in murder, rape, torture and the taking of hostages amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the Hamas-led attack, militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking some 250 others hostage. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third of them believed to be dead. Khan withdrew requests for warrants for two other senior Hamas figures, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh , who have both since been killed. Israel says it also killed Deif in an airstrike, but Hamas has never confirmed his death. The warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were issued by a three-judge panel in a unanimous decision. The panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both men bear responsibility for the war crime of starvation and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. The judges said the lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and specific medical supplies created conditions “calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza,” including the deaths of children due to malnutrition and dehydration. They also found that by preventing hospital supplies and medicine from getting into Gaza, doctors were forced to operate, including performing amputations, without anesthesia or with unsafe means of sedation that led to “great suffering.” Israeli diplomatic officials said the government is lobbying the international community to speak out against the warrants and is considering an appeal to the court. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal decision on how the government will proceed. Despite the warrants, none of the suspects is likely to face judges in The Hague anytime soon. Member countries are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin, wanted on an ICC warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, recently visited Mongolia, a member state in the court but also a Russian ally. He was not arrested. Still, the threat of arrest now complicates any travel abroad by Netanyahu and Gallant. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the warrants are binding on all 27 members countries of the European Union. France signaled it could arrest Netanyahu if he came to its territory. Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine called it a “complex legal issue” but said France supports the court’s actions. “Combating impunity is our priority,” he said. “Our response will align with these principles.” Hamas in a statement welcomed the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant but made no mention of the one against Deif. Israel’s opposition leaders fiercely criticized the ICC’s move. Benny Gantz, a retired general and political rival to Netanyahu, said it showed “moral blindness” and was a “shameful stain of historic proportion that will never be forgotten.” Israel’s campaign has caused heavy destruction across Gaza and driven almost the entire population of 2.3 million people from their homes, leaving most dependent on aid to survive. Two days after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, Gallant announced a total seal on Gaza, vowing not to let in food, fuel or other supplies. Under U.S. pressure, Israel began allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid to enter a few weeks later. Israel now says it puts no limit on the supplies permitted into Gaza, and it blames the U.N. distribution system. But Israel's official figures show the amount of aid it has let in has plunged since the beginning of October. The U.N has blamed Israeli military restrictions, along with widespread lawlessness that has led to theft of aid shipments. The case at the ICC is separate from another legal battle Israel is waging at the top U.N. court, the International Court of Justice, in which South Africa accuses Israel of genocide , an allegation Israeli leaders staunchly deny. Lawyers for Israel argued in court that the war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and that it was Hamas militants who were guilty of genocide. Associated Press journalists Raf Casert in Brussels, Mike Corder in The Hague and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Ah, the humble internet browser. So crucial to our experience of the internet, yet so easy to take for granted. Let's be real, how many of us really think about our choice of web browser these days? If you don't settle for the default browser provided by your operating system, then the first thing you likely do when setting up a new device is to download Google Chrome. It's fast, it's free, and it's convenient — what's not to like? Still, Google's ubiquitous internet browser wasn't always the dominant force it is now. Sure, its popularity may make it seem like the browser was always a fixture of the internet, but that's far from the truth. It may seem impossible to imagine in a world where the majority of internet users opt for Chrome, but there was a time when Internet Explorer (IE) ruled the roost. Chrome, on the other hand, was the new kid on the block, trying to catch up to the big names and offer users something different. From its early days to its ascendancy and culminating in its market dominance today, Chrome has taken quite a journey to reach its current stature. If you've ever wondered how things got the way they are today, then this look back at the birth, growth, and evolution of Google Chrome is for you. In the years immediately preceding Google Chrome, there was really only one name in town — Internet Explorer. Microsoft's browser had seen off the once dominant Netscape Navigator during the first browser war, its victory allowing it to amass an astounding 95% of the browser market share in 2004. Such was Microsoft's dominance that it became the de facto internet browser for web development, kicking off an age of IE-focused web development and, in Ars Technica's words, "further perpetuating Microsoft's ecosystem lock-in." Thankfully, Microsoft's utter dominance of the browser world was somewhat short-lived. Mozilla's Firefox launched in November 2004 and would slowly eat away at Internet Explorer's market share. While Firefox certainly helped push internet browsers forward — it popularized features like an integrated pop-up blocker and tabbed browsing — it never quite managed to break through Microsoft's dominance. Firefox's pre-Chrome market share peaked at 32% in August 2008, which, while not insignificant, still left Microsoft with the majority of the browser market. Opera and Apple's Safari were also around, but neither was all that popular, with a combined share of well below 10% of the browser market during this period. The mid-late 2000s browser market, then, was a two-horse race between Internet Explorer and the up-and-coming Firefox. However, that would soon change when a third name entered the picture. Google threw its hat into the browser ring in September 2008, launching the Google Chrome beta alongside a charming and very informational web comic that explained the thinking behind the new browser, which included an extension-friendly architecture that many of us now couldn't live without. Google also released Chromium alongside it, which was and continues to be the open-source codebase for Chrome sans Google-specific integrations. In an announcement on the Official Google Blog , the corporation pitched its new offering as a "fresh take on the browser." It included new features like sandboxed tabs — which prevented tabs from crashing each other — alongside improvements such as the V8 JavaScript engine, which offered better performance. Chrome also introduced UI and UX elements that have now become standard on all browsers — partly because a few of its rivals have now moved to the same codebase — such as having tabs on top of the dual-purpose address bar, detachable tabs, and a home page that showed thumbnail views of the most recently-visited pages. It wasn't just the novelty of these features that appealed to the tech press at the time. Google packaged all this in a delightfully minimalist design that stood out from the crowd, especially compared to the fussy UIs of Firefox 3.0 and Internet Explorer 7. Contemporary reviews loved the Chrome beta, with The Tech Herald calling it "a nice break from tradition." TechCrunch went even further in its praise, calling it a "superb" package that "understands what you really want to do with a browser." Google's browser development team worked at a furious pace over the rest of 2008, adding missing features — such as a bookmark manager, which came to the beta in November — before exiting beta and launching the 1.0 version in mid-December that same year. Moving quickly to bring feature parity to Chrome and launch a stable version proved to be something of a masterstroke: Chrome's browser share climbed steadily over its first full year as a stable release, culminating in an impressive 5.38% by the end of 2009, Chrome's ascendance came almost singularly at the cost of Internet Explorer, too. While Firefox and other browsers retained their market share (or grew slightly), Microsoft's once-dominant browser had dropped to 55% of the market by the end of 2009, a loss of nearly 10% from the start of the year. Gaining 5% of the market was no mean feat for a fresh browser. Even Safari, Apple's default browser, only accounted for less than 3% of traffic in 2009. Google was just getting started, too — the team announced Mac and Linux versions of the browser in early December 2009, paving the way for gaining an even bigger chunk of the browser market. Google also launched Chrome OS in 2009, extending Chrome's back-to-basics, web-first design philosophy into a whole operating system. The corporation designed the OS primarily for use with a new style of laptop called Chromebooks, although the corporation has launched variants of the OS designed to run on standard laptops as an alternative to Windows. Chrome was in the ascendancy. Now freshly cross-platform, the presence of a new kid on the browser block prompted contemporary journalists to float the prospect of a new browser war, now a three-cornered fight between Microsoft, Mozilla, and Google — with Opera and Apple also in the mix. To Microsoft's credit, it wasn't taking Google's threat lying down. Internet Explorer 8, released in 2009, introduced some notable updates and new features. Microsoft improved IE's JavaScript handler, resulting in better performance when rendering websites. IE 8 also complied better with the then-prevalent web standards, bringing it in line with its rivals. Microsoft also added a private browsing mode and session recovery. Nothing revolutionary, admittedly, but evidence that the company was at least paying attention to the rest of the browser market. Despite Microsoft's best efforts — including the launch of Internet Explorer 9 in 2011 — the browser war was more of a massacre. Internet Explorer and eventually Firefox started losing market share to Chrome at a frightening pace. By the end of 2010, Chrome had 14% of the market, growing to 25% by the end of 2011. At this point, Internet Explorer's market share had dipped to 35%, and Chrome had even snatched second place from Firefox. The unthinkable finally happened in 2012, when Chrome edged ahead of IE in browser market share in the middle of the year and ended 2012 with 31% of the market compared to IE's 26%. The age of Internet Explorer was over. While Apple had defined the modern smartphone with 2007's iPhone, it wasn't until the early 2010s that smartphones truly took off and started eating into a mobile phone market that had been dominated by what we would now call dumb phones . In 2012, smartphones accounted for nearly half of all mobile phone shipments that year, with lackluster numbers elsewhere suggesting that many consumers were switching from their old phones to embrace the Android and iOS dominated future. Google was no stranger to smartphones, having owned Android since 2005. Despite this, it took until 2012 for the company to bring its internet browser to smartphones. Chrome for Android debuted in beta in February 2012 for Android 4.0 devices and newer, retaining many of the desktop browser's features — such as Incognito mode and autofill — in its mobile incarnation. Google even had syncing ready to go from the start, although it only worked in one direction — desktop to mobile — to begin with. Apple users would have to wait a bit longer, but not too long. Brian Rakowski, the then-VP of Google's Chrome division, unveiled Chrome for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch at Google I/O in June 2012. That said, the iOS version of Chrome arguably wasn't really even Chrome — it had to use Mobile Safari's WebKit backend and was thus just as slow — if not slower — than the default iOS browser. That said, it did bring a Chrome-style UI and the oh-so-handy ability to sync to desktop Chrome, a feature that reviewers loved. Chrome's open-source Chromium codebase meant that other developers could put their own spin on Chrome's code and core features, and that's precisely what Opera did when it launched Opera 15 in 2013. Long since a bit-part player in the browser wars, the Scandinavian company opted to abandon its Presto backend and fully embrace Chromium with the 15th iteration of the browser. The Chromium update for Opera brought with it a selection of features that would have been familiar to Google Chrome users of the era. Opera now had a Chrome-style look and Chromium's signature omnibox (its combined search and address bar), with an updated Speed Dial page to go along with it. The Opera team also began contributing to the Chromium codebase with the browser's switch, playing a part in helping Google reduce Chromium's infamous memory usage. Opera's rationale for the move was quite simple. WebKit, Chromium's rendering engine, was in a good enough place that adopting it would allow the team to focus more on the browser, and not the engine powering it. In a sign of its commitment to Chromium, Opera followed Google in adopting Blink, which the latter introduced (as a fork of WebKit) only a few months after Opera 15's release. Opera remains a Chromium-based browser, with the latest version as of November 2024 built on Chromium 125. By the end of 2016, Chrome's march to the top was finally complete, in a sense. Google's browser finally broke past the 50% market share milestone in October that month, ending the year with 51% of the browser market across all platforms. Microsoft's once-mighty IE had a mere 4.4%, behind even Opera, and even the ever-reliable Firefox's share had dwindled to less than 7%. By this point, however, Microsoft wasn't really pinning its hopes on Internet Explorer anymore. It had launched a new browser the year before called Edge. Edge had a new rendering engine — EdgeHTML — and was the default browser for the then-new Windows 10, bringing with it updates like a new minimalist design — with a Chrome-style layout with tabs on top, of course — and Microsoft Cortana support. Despite Windows 10 getting off to a decent start, it seems like many users opted to stick to Chrome instead, with Microsoft's latest browser only gaining 1.61% of the browser market by the end of 2016. In an interesting twist, Chrome's closest competitor was now Apple's Safari. That said, despite its many advantages over Chrome , Apple's browser wasn't really much of a competitor. It was the second most used browser, sure, but its 14% market share was miles behind that of Chrome. Three years after first launching Edge, Microsoft's Internet Explorer successor was still nowhere, barely even managing to gain 2% of the browser market. Faced with what was an undeniable flop, Microsoft announced in late 2018 that it would rebuild Edge from the ground up to make use of, you guessed it, Chromium. This wasn't Microsoft's first dalliance with open-source tech, but it was a big step for the company nonetheless. The decision would put Edge on par with other Chromium-based browsers in core features, all while bringing it in line with current web standards — in other words, the standards that Google was driving with Blink. The result? Even more Google dominance through Chromium-based browsers such as Opera, Edge, and UC Browser. Good for Google, of course, but not necessarily a development that all web developers embraced. Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge finally saw the light of day in 2020. The reception was surprisingly good, with journalists praising the reduced RAM and CPU usage compared to Chrome and better privacy settings, all while remaining familiar enough for Chrome users to make the switch. Microsoft even introduced some Edge-only features to the browser, further differentiating it from Chrome. The rewritten Edge fared much better than its predecessor, surpassing the old version's market share with 3.1% by the end of 2020. Chrome celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2018, and Google celebrated this milestone by introducing a fresh new look for its now-dominant internet browser. Google based Chrome's new look on Material Design, a set of principles it first introduced in 2014. Gone were the angled tabs that had characterized Chrome since its launch, in their place were softer, rounded tabs with the now-customary favicons. The new design also cleaned up the tab bar for easier browsing, rounded off the omnibox's edges, and made other small UI tweaks across the browser. The color palette also changed, with Chrome now opting for subtly lighter colors than its predecessor. However, this anniversary update wasn't purely cosmetic, even if that was the main focus. Google also introduced new functionality, such as a more powerful omnibox that could search through currently open tabs and an improved password manager. Not everyone appreciated the new look, but whatever complaints its users had didn't do much to harm Chrome's stranglehold on the browser market. The end of 2018 saw Chrome hitting Internet Explorer levels of dominance, with the browser accounting for 62.3% of internet traffic with no signs of slowing down or ceding the lead to any of its rivals. As of October 2024, Chrome accounts for 66.6% of all browser traffic on the internet, across all platforms Updates such as a Material You refresh in 2023 and the addition of various AI and machine learning-assisted features have slowly pushed Chrome forward, all while Chromium-based browsers such as Edge, Opera, and Brave ensure that Google's codebase dominates with or without Chrome. Between Google search, YouTube, Android, and Chromium-based browsers, it's not hard to feel like Google essentially rules our digital lives. We'll let you make up your mind about how desirable this state of affairs is, but it's worth pointing out that not everyone is a fan. The Verge , for example, argued in 2021 that the browser market was starting to echo the days of Internet Explorer's dominance, when sites were authored specifically to work best (or only) in Internet Explorer. Chrome has also come under fire for its laissez-faire attitude to user privacy — Google is, after all, in the advertising and data game — while Google's planned Manifest V3 update for Chrome's extension API has been described as a way for Google to limit the functionality ad blockers and other privacy-protecting extensions by Electronic Frontier Foundation , amongst others. While none of these criticisms have made a huge dent in Chrome's dominance, some of these concerns have likely helped the growth of privacy-focused browsers like Vivaldi . Despite all that, it's hard to imagine another internet browser ever taking Chrome's place anytime soon, if ever — but, then again, that's what many of us thought about Internet Explorer in 2004.
Some Democrats are frustrated over Joe Biden reversing course and pardoning his son HunterIsland Health opens applications for Vancouver Island mental health grants
Preserving Black History Has Never Been More Vital
NoneJimmy Carter, the longest-lived American president died on Sunday, the accolades flowed in emails from Connecticut lawmakers and elected officials, many of whom knew the former president. Carter, was a 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. He died more than a year 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. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said Sunday, “President Carter leaves us just when we need his spirit more than ever. But as an American, and a kid who grew up during his presidency, I am ever grateful that Jimmy Carter showed us the way. A way forward for America that is just and fair, and takes care of each other. “A way for a human being to serve other people as completely and vigorously as he did. I am not sure we’ll ever see another Jimmy Carter in my lifetime. But for our sake, I desperately hope that we do,” Tong said. U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, said Carter appointed him U.S. Attorney for Connecticut. “Jimmy Carter was a public servant for all seasons—leading by example, passionately and unstintingly, over deeply different and sometimes difficult phases of his life and the nation’s,” Blumenthal said. “The diversity and longevity of his public service is staggering—as a military officer, Governor and President, home builder, health care activist, and much more. He certainly showed that leadership in elected office is only one of many ways to give back to our great nation. He believed fervently in the opportunity and obligation of every single person to make a difference and better the lives of others. I’ll always be grateful for his appointing me as U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, which is how I first came to know him. U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, said he spoke on the House Floor recounting Carter’s exceptional service, including in the U.S. Navy, and his connection to Connecticut. “America lost a great man today. President Jimmy Carter personified the highest form of public service, not just as Governor and President, but as an ensign in the U.S. Navy who rose to be one of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover’s select officers at the birth of the ‘Nuclear Navy,'” Courtney said. “In 2005, when the Navy sought to close Submarine Base New London, former President Carter stood by ‘Team Connecticut’ in opposition to a plan which would have moved the Base’s fleet to his home state of Georgia. His decision to support ‘Team Connecticut’ in the face of political pressure at home represents the integrity and honor he served with throughout his life. Today, eastern Connecticut maintains our proud role as Submarine Capital of the World thanks to former President Carter. I join the American people in sending my deepest condolences and gratitude to the Carter family for his lifetime of service.” U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5, said, “Today, our nation mourns the passing of Nobel laureate and former President Jimmy Carter. “During his presidency and in the decades after, President Carter served as an advocate for peace, human rights, and democracy,” she said. “His work with Habitat for Humanity inspired me to introduce my students to service and has helped build strength, stability and self reliance for so many through shelter.” “My thoughts and prayers are with the Carter family during this time and I thank him for his lifetime of service.” U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said, “Few people have modeled what it means to live a life dedicated to the service of others more than President Jimmy Carter. “He led with compassion, humility, and moral clarity even when it came at a political cost. Helping others was his calling, and President Carter didn’t need the White House to change millions of lives. From his work at the Carter Center to volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, he worked every day to build a more just world. “In a 1979 speech, President Carter warned the nation we have two paths to choose from – one toward fragmentation and self-interest and another toward common purpose. It’s a warning that rings true still today. “My heart is with the Carter family as the nation mourns the loss of a giant.” Gov. Ned Lamont said, “President Carter will be remembered in history as one of our nation’s most humble presidents, whose honorable service to the United States began when he enlisted in the Navy and was stationed for several years in Connecticut at Naval Submarine Base New London. “Upon being elected to office as governor of Georgia and continuing throughout his presidency, he championed many of the biggest and most notable causes of the era, including desegregation, human rights, early childhood development programs, prison reform, and more. He has one of the most noteworthy and prominent post-presidency careers of any U.S. president, volunteering his time on the international stage to provide diplomatic and peacekeeping efforts in places such as Israel, Palestine, North Korea, South Africa, and Syria, and maintaining an active level of involvement as an advocate for Habitat for Humanity to promote for the availability of housing for all. “President Carter’s style of leadership set an example that ought to be emulated by public officials nationwide, most notably his self-effacing and kind disposition. He carried himself with grace and integrity, treated others with dignity and respect regardless of whether they were a political ally or foe, and above all worked to implement policies that make our country a more equitable place for all to live and thrive. On behalf of the State of Connecticut, I extend my deepest condolences to the Carter family. Our hearts are with them at this time of mourning, and we thank them for everything they have given to our country.” Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said, “Jimmy Carter represented the best of us. A man of generosity, patience – and above all, kindness. I had the privilege of witnessing those qualities firsthand when in 1978, President Carter joined Governor Ella Grasso in Hartford to fundraise for her second term. “As a student journalist for my high school newspaper, I met President Carter during that visit. He was very patient and took the time to answer my questions. The following year, his press secretary Jody Powell was kind enough to invite our high school newspaper to attend a presidential press conference at the White House. Experiences like these are what ultimately inspired me to pursue a career in public service, law, and advocacy. “Throughout his presidency, and even after he left office, President Carter was known for committing his time and talents to the service of others. He made democracy and human rights a central focus – consistently focused on peacekeeping and diplomacy efforts. As a former secretary of the state, I always appreciated his work to promote free and fair elections in our country and around the world. Led by his faith to help the less fortunate, President Carter dedicated countless hours to building homes with Habitat for Humanity. “Jimmy Carter was a man from humble beginnings who went on to change the world. He will be remembered for his unwavering commitment to his country, his steadfast belief in democracy, and ultimately his kindness and sacrifice. My heart goes out to his family.” The Associated Press Contributed to this post.
The Danish government has unveiled a significant increase in defence spending for Greenland, shortly after US President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his interest in acquiring the Arctic territory. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen confirmed that the investment, which amounts to a “double-digit billion” figure in kroner, equates to at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn). Poulsen characterised the timing of the announcement as an “irony of fate,” following Trump’s statement on Monday that the ownership and control of Greenland was an “absolute necessity” for the United States. Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, hosts a major US space facility and holds strategic importance for the US due to its location on the most direct route to Europe. The island is also rich in mineral and oil reserves. The planned defence package will fund the purchase of two new inspection ships, two long-range drones, and two additional dog sled teams. It will also support the expansion of staffing at Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and the upgrade of one of the island’s three primary civilian airports to accommodate F-35 fighter jets. Poulsen noted that Denmark had not invested sufficiently in the Arctic in recent years, emphasising that the government is now prioritising a stronger presence in the region. While the precise cost of the package has not been disclosed, Danish media estimates place it at around 12-15bn kroner. The announcement comes just a day after Trump reiterated on his Truth Social platform that the United States deems Greenland’s control essential for national security and global freedom. In response, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede firmly stated, “we are not for sale,” though he welcomed continued cooperation and trade, particularly with neighbouring countries. Analysts suggest that the defence package had been under discussion for some time and should not be seen as a direct reaction to Trump’s remarks. However, they note that Denmark has been slow to expand its military capacity in Greenland, and should it fail to protect the territory’s waters from encroachments by China and Russia, there could be growing US demands for greater control. Army Major Steen Kjaergaard of the Danish Defence Academy speculated that Trump’s renewed focus on Greenland could have influenced Denmark’s decision. He believes that Trump is using the pressure of international demands to encourage Denmark to enhance its Arctic military capabilities without directly taking control of Greenland, which relies heavily on subsidies from Denmark. Trump’s previous suggestion in 2019 to purchase Greenland was met with a strong rejection from local leaders, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who described the proposal as “absurd.” This led to the cancellation of a planned state visit to Denmark. The idea of acquiring Greenland is not new; it was first proposed during President Andrew Johnson’s administration in the 1860s. Follow us on:
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