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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 scheduled a state funeral in Washington, D.C., for Carter on Jan. 9. Biden also declared Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning across the nation and ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days from Sunday. 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 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. 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.” 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. Story continues below video 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.Syrians cheer end of 50 years of Assad rule at first Friday prayers since government fell

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TEHRAN – Iran has decided to activate new advanced centrifuges, rejecting an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors resolution that rebuked Tehran despite its offer of new concessions. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the Iranian Foreign Ministry released a joint statement early Friday, criticizing the IAEA's resolution as politically driven, unrealistic, and unjust. A significant number of advanced centrifuges will be deployed in response to the unconstructive move, the statement read. The resolution, passed by the IAEA's Board of Governors with a vote of 19 to 3 and 12 abstentions, accused Iran of “insufficient cooperation” and demanded a comprehensive report on its nuclear activities by spring 2025. The statement added that despite taking new measures to accelerate its nuclear program, Iran will maintain its technical cooperation with the IAEA based on previous agreements. Referring to the IAEA chief’s recent trip to Iran, the statement explained that Rafael Grossi’s meetings with senior Iranian officials and his subsequent visits to the Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites showed a solid foundation for enhanced collaboration between Iran and the nuclear agency. It accused the UK, France, Germany, and the U.S. of advancing political agendas under the guise of nuclear concerns, especially in light of their past failures to uphold agreements like the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The JCPOA was established in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 countries. It imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in return for the termination of Western sanctions. However, the accord collapsed in 2018 when U.S. President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the United States from the agreement and reimpose sanctions on Iran. In a televised interview on Friday, AEOI spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi confirmed the immediate implementation of "compensatory actions," including a substantial increase in uranium enrichment capacity alongside the accelerated development of advanced centrifuge technology. “We will significantly increase our enrichment capacity, deploy various advanced machines, and enhance the speed of industrial research and development for each machine,” he added. Tehran had reportedly agreed not to expand its stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity during Grossi’s visit to Iran. Kamalvandi said the agreement is no longer viable, as Iran had only taken up the offer contingent upon the fact that the IAEA does not pass a censure against the country.TORONTO — Canada's main stock index fell more than 100 points Friday, led by losses in base metal and telecom stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed ahead of next week's interest rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve. This week, the Bank of Canada announced another outsized interest rate cut of half a percentage point while also signalling it plans to slow the pace of cuts going forward. Allan Small, senior investment adviser at iA Private Wealth, said the central bank is juggling a lot of balls heading into the new year, including a faltering economy, a housing market that’s poised to heat up, and a U.S. Fed likely to cut much slower next year. “If (the Bank of Canada) continues to cut when the U.S. doesn’t, where does that leave our dollar?” asked Small. “They’re flying by the seat of their pants.” The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 136.41 points at 25,274.30. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 86.06 points at 43,828.06. The S&P 500 index was down 0.16 points at 6,051.09, while the Nasdaq composite was up 23.88 points at 19,926.72. The Fed has done a better job of tamping down inflation while not harming the economy too much, said Small. The Fed is expected to cut by a quarter-percentage point next week, and its path is clearer than the Bank of Canada’s, said Small. “I don’t think they have much room to cut more,” he said, noting this week saw U.S. inflation data tick up from the month before. “Most people think they’ll go 25 (basis points) and pause for a little while,” said Small. “Would I be surprised to see them not cut at all? No, but I think the market would take that negatively.” Heading into the last few weeks of the year, Small said if there’s a so-called Santa Claus rally, it may be more muted than usual. “It's quite possible we've taken some gains that we normally would have had in December, brought them forward into November, and now December might not be as strong as we normally see,” he said. On Wall St., the Nasdaq did a little better than its U.S. peers as semiconductor company Broadcom saw its stock gain more than 24 per cent after reporting earnings. “I think the commentary on the conference call really caused the stock to shoot up," said Small. The company gave a bright forecast for investors on the back of expected growth in artificial intelligence. This week, Broadcom and Apple also announced a deal to develop a chip for AI. The Canadian dollar traded for 70.27 cents US compared with 70.48 cents US on Thursday. The January crude oil contract was up US$1.27 at US$71.29 per barrel and the January natural gas contract was down 18 cents at US$3.28 per mmBTU. The February gold contract was down US$33.60 at US$2,675.80 an ounce and the March copper contract was down five cents at US$4.15 a pound. — With files from The Associated Press This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD) Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press

La société renforce ainsi sa position de chef de file de la durabilité et de l'innovation TABUK, Arabie saoudite , 15 décembre 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Abdullah Abdin Ready-Mix Concrete est fier d'annoncer d'avoir obtenu la certification du Concrete Sustainability Council ( CSC ), une étape importante qui le positionne en tant que leader de la construction durable dans la région MENA. Cette reconnaissance fait d'Abdullah Abdin Ready-Mix Concrete la première entreprise de béton prêt à l'emploi de la région MENA - et la première en dehors de l' Europe , de l'Amérique du Sud et de la Turquie - à recevoir cette prestigieuse certification. La certification du CSC souligne l'engagement d'Abdullah Abdin à mettre en œuvre des pratiques de durabilité avancées et à établir une norme plus élevée en matière de responsabilité environnementale et sociale, reflétant son engagement envers la Vision 2030 de l'Arabie saoudite et renforçant sa position de leader avant-gardiste dans le secteur de la construction. Lancé en 2017 en tant qu'initiative mondiale visant à soutenir les Objectifs de développement durable (ODD) dans le secteur du béton, le CSC est le seul système de certification applicable à l'échelle mondiale pour le béton prêt à l'emploi et le béton préfabriqué. Avec 1 288 usines certifiées dans 25 pays, la certification CSC est reconnue par les principaux labels de construction écologique tels que LEED et BREEAM. Pour célébrer cette réussite, une cérémonie de remise des prix a eu lieu aujourd'hui dans les locaux de l'entreprise à Sharma, NEOM, où des personnalités du secteur et des partenaires de l'entreprise se sont réunis pour marquer cet accomplissement majeur, qui devrait inspirer des efforts similaires dans toute la région. « Cette étape démontre notre engagement à promouvoir le leadership de l'Arabie saoudite en matière de développement durable », déclare Tariq Abdullah Abdin , CEO, Abdullah Abdin Ready-Mix Concrete. « En tant que première entreprise de la région à obtenir cette certification, nous visons à établir la norme en matière de construction respectueuse de l'environnement tout en contribuant aux objectifs ambitieux de la Vision 2030 du Royaume et en répondant aux aspirations de nos partenaires, en particulier dans les projets Giga, NEOM montrant la voie à suivre. » Cynthia Imesch , coordinatrice et responsable de la durabilité au CSC, a fait remarquer que « la réussite d'Abdullah Abdin représente un grand pas en avant pour l'industrie de la construction de la région. En intégrant le développement durable dans leurs activités, ils illustrent le rôle transformateur que les entreprises peuvent jouer dans la réalisation des objectifs climatiques mondiaux. Leur leadership ouvre la voie à une adoption plus large de ces normes essentielles par l'industrie ». Rabih Fakih , directeur général de Grey Matters, l'opérateur régional du système CSC, ajoute : « Nous sommes fiers de soutenir Abdullah Abdin dans l'obtention de cette certification, qui reflète l'élan croissant en faveur de la construction durable au Moyen-Orient. Cette étape ne met pas seulement en évidence leur leadership, mais sert également d'inspiration à d'autres entreprises pour qu'elles adoptent des pratiques conformes aux aspirations environnementales de Vision 2030 et de NEOM ». Outre l'obtention de la certification CSC, Abdullah Abdin a récemment signé un protocole d'accord avec Cryo et CarbonCure Technologies dans la région MENA. Cette collaboration se concentre sur le déploiement de technologies de capture et d'utilisation du carbone dans ses installations, dans le but de réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et d'améliorer la durabilité de la production de béton. En s'appuyant sur des solutions innovantes telles que l'injection de CO2 capturé dans les mélanges de béton, le partenariat s'aligne sur la mission plus large d'Abdullah Abdin de mener des pratiques de construction respectueuses de l'environnement et de contribuer activement aux objectifs de décarbonisation du Royaume. Pour plus d'informations sur Abdullah Abdin et ses initiatives de durabilité, veuillez consulter le site https://aabdin-sa.com/ . À propos d'Abdullah Abdin Ready Mix-Concrete Fondé en 1981 dans la région de Tabuk, Abdullah Abdin Ready-Mix Concrete est devenu un nom de confiance dans le domaine des matériaux de construction, connu pour sa qualité, son innovation et sa durabilité. Les contributions de l'entreprise à des projets majeurs dans toute l'Arabie saoudite soulignent sa réputation de chef de file dans la construction de l'avenir du Royaume. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2581568/Abdullah_Abdin%C2%A0Ready_Mix_Concrete.jpgThe Attorney General yesterday informed the Court of Appeal that the National Procurement Commission is currently conducting an inquiry into the Cabinet’s decision to approve the purchase of 750,000 N-Series Passports from two companies as part of the initial procurement for the supply of five million e-passports during the previous regime. Senior Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena, appearing for the Attorney General, made these remarks when the writ petition filed by Epic Lanka (Pvt) Ltd and its Chairman was taken up before the Court of Appeal. SASG Dharmawardena urged Court to postpone the hearing of the matter until the National Procurement Commission submits its investigation report. He gave an undertaking to the Court that he would submit the report once it is available. The Court had previously issued an interim order suspending the operation of the former government’s Cabinet decision, which had granted approval to purchase 750,000 N-Series Passports from two companies as part of the initial procurement for the supply of five million e-passports. The Court of Appeal, comprising a two-judge bench of Justices M.T.M.Laffar and P.Kumararatnam, fixed the petition for hearing on January 23. The Court had earlier issued an interim order suspending the operation of cabinet decision granting approval to purchase 750,000 N-Series Passports from two companies as part of the initial procurement for the supply of five million e-Passports. The Court of Appeal issued this order pursuant to a writ petition filed by Epic Lanka (Pvt) Ltd and its Executive Chairman alleging that it is a corrupt deal that violates the tender procedure. In its application, the Epic Lanka alleged that Cabinet of Ministers former regime on September 2, 2024 has granted approval to procure 750,000 Nos. of Machine Readable Passports from Thales DIS Finland OY and Just In Time Technologies (Pvt) Ltd outside of the proper procurement procedure, circumventing the National Procurement Guidelines. The petitioners further alleged that the National Procurement Commission has also acknowledged in writing that the procurement had irregularities. The petitioners have cited Public Security Ministry Secretary, former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, Cabinet of Ministers and several others as respondents. Viran Corea PC with Pramod Perera, Hiruni De Almeida and Shamina Bangsajayah instructed by Neelakandan & Neelakandan appeared for Epic Lanka. Senior Counsel Buddhike Illangatileke appeared for JIT. Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardhana appeared for the Attorney General. Counsel Nisala S. Fernando appeared for Metropolitan Technologies Pvt Ltd and Eraj De Silva PC appeared for former president Ranil Wickremesinghe.Since H2 2023, the PV market has experienced a sharp downturn, with the industry deeply mired in a capacity surplus and facing a wave of brutal eliminations. Against this backdrop, PV companies have had to reassess the market environment, rationally adjust their strategies, and slow down or even terminate investment projects lacking competitive advantages. According to Polaris statistics, since 2023, 47 PV projects have been announced as delayed or terminated. These projects span the entire industry chain, including polysilicon, wafers, solar cells, auxiliary materials, and power stations. Among them are projects involving 320,000 mt of polysilicon, 37 GW of wafers/slices/ingots, 101.5 GW of solar cells and modules, and over 850 million m2 of PV film. "84 GW Solar Cell Projects Abruptly Halted" Among the aforementioned projects, 12 PV projects have been terminated, primarily focusing on the TOPCon and HJT solar cell segments, with a total scale reaching 84 GW. Notably, since H2 2023, the PV industry has undergone an iteration wave from P-type to N-type technologies, with solar cells being the core battleground of this transition, experiencing the most dramatic changes. According to InfoLink data, by the end of 2024, TOPCon solar cell capacity is expected to reach approximately 920 GW, sufficient to meet most or even all market demand for the next five years. With new capacity already ample and even approaching surplus, an intense "price war" has become inevitable, and TOPCon module prices are quickly aligning with P-type prices. For investing companies, this significantly compresses profit margins compared to initial investment expectations, leaving many in a dilemma. As "cut-throat competition" in the industry intensifies, an increasing number of cross-sector entrants are exiting this brutal competition. Companies like Lingda Co., Meditech, and Haiyuan Composite Materials have successively pressed the termination button. Even Sunflower, which had re-entered the PV field with high confidence, terminated its 10 GW TOPCon solar cell project under the severe circumstances. Similarly, East China Heavy Machinery took only a year to go from deciding to invest 6 billion yuan in a high-profile cross-sector PV venture to terminating its 10 GW N-type solar cell project. Shanxi Coal International Energy Group, one of the earliest publicly listed firms to venture into HJT, also succumbed, ultimately announcing the termination of its 3 GW HJT solar cell project. Beyond the solar cell segment, PV backsheet leader Zhonglai Co. terminated its 100,000 mt high-purity polycrystalline silicon project; inverter company Xinyuan Technology terminated its 20 GW inverter and bidirectional converter project, while Deye Co. announced the termination of its 1.5 billion yuan inverter investment project. Additionally, Meditech, whose performance was dragged down, announced the termination of its 9 GW high-efficiency monocrystalline solar cell smart factory project and began divesting PV assets. Jiaojian Co., after reassessing market risks, decided to terminate its plan to acquire a 70% stake in Boda New Energy. 35 PV Projects Delayed Amid this overwhelming "PV winter," for ongoing projects, blind expansion would only plunge companies deeper into financial crises, making project delays a rational choice after careful consideration. According to incomplete statistics, 35 PV projects have been announced as delayed in 2024, covering the entire industry chain from polysilicon, wafers, solar cells and modules, auxiliary materials, to power stations. Although some project completion timelines have been pushed to 2025 or even 2026, this move also reflects a glimmer of hope among companies for a market recovery in the future. Among these, Daqo New Energy's 100,000 mt polysilicon investment and Saineng Silicon's 100,000 mt granular silicon Phase I 20,000 mt project have been delayed; Jingyuntong's Leshan 22 GW ingot and slicing project has been postponed to the end of 2024 for commissioning; and solar cell and module projects totaling 46.5 GW, invested by companies like Dechen New Energy and Eging PV, have been delayed by over six months. In the auxiliary material segment, delays in PV film projects are relatively concentrated. "Main players" such as First, Crown, Tianyang New Materials, and Lushan New Materials have successively postponed their project investments by over a year, with each project scale ranging from 150-250 million m2. On the equipment side, equipment companies like Shichuang Energy, Tiantong Co., Autowell, and Micro Guide Nano have delayed their projects by at least a year. Among them, Autowell's TOPCon solar cell equipment project has been postponed to August 2026; Tiantong Co. has delayed the "large-size RF piezoelectric wafer project" and the "new-type high-efficiency crystal growth and precision processing intelligent equipment project" to December 2026 for reaching their intended usable state. Shichuang Energy has postponed the intended usable state timelines for its high-efficiency solar cell equipment expansion project, new material expansion and automation upgrade project, and R&D center and information construction project by 1-2 years. Micro Guide Nano has delayed the intended usable state timeline for its "PV and flexible electronics equipment expansion and upgrade project based on atomic layer deposition technology" to December 2025. Notably, as downstream end-user PV power stations, project delays have started to increase. This year, as distributed PV installation scales continuously set new records, the associated investment risks have also grown. The implementation of time-of-use electricity prices and distributed PV market trading policies have introduced fluctuations in electricity price returns, making investments increasingly cautious. For instance, distributed PV projects invested by companies like Shanghai Nenghui, Xinneng Technology, GCL Energy Technology, and Ainuo Energy, spanning multiple provinces and cities, have seen significant delays in overall project progress due to policy impacts and adjustments in resource planning by owners. Additionally, changes in the nature of PV land use have also become a reason for implementation delays. Jinkai New Energy announced that due to changes in land use nature, the 100 MW fishery-PV hybrid project in Huangxiekou, Jianli City, and the 200 MWp agrivoltaic-storage hybrid project in Gangnanqiaoxu Town, Guigang City, had to be postponed to June 2025. Details are shown in the table below:

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China seems to have a dogged determination to emerge as a global leader but there are a number of factors preventing it from securing that position. For instance, most of the states in the global leadership position don’t have major territorial disputes, but in the case of China, it not only has territorial disputes with India but it is also facing a hostile environment over the issue of the South China Sea. In addition to that, Taiwan is an inveterate issue that would keep on haunting it. If Beijing tries to annex it by force, it would definitely push the world towards a conflagration besides greatly halting its own rise as a global economic power. On military matters, China has only one nuclear ally Russia, which has been reeling under economic sanctions, while the US has three more declared nuclear powers as allies and one undeclared nuclear power. Washington also has large economic powers like Germany, Japan, South Korea, Italy, Canada and Australia in its sphere of influence. If Beijing starts pumping a large chunk of its resources into weapons and defence, then it would amount to repeating the mistakes of the Soviet Union, that faltered because of its disproportionate military spending. But if it does not match its military might with that of the US, it faces the risk of being overwhelmed by the hostile environment in the South China Sea and South Asia. A hegemon also has to make sacrifices to woo the support of other countries. For instance, one can criticise the US as much as one wants, but after all Washington did help Europe come out of the devastation that was inflicted upon the continent during the Second World War. Through the Marshall Plan, it helped Germany and other countries to rebuild themselves, besides showing to the world that the countries which are under the influence of the US can make tremendous strides within no time. The rise of South Korea and Japan as economic powers could not have been possible without substantial assistance by the US. Washington guaranteed their security, which enabled these two states to direct their energies towards economic recovery and technological advancement. The Soviet Union, despite its limited resources, supported revolutions in Vietnam, Cuba, North Korea and a number of other states besides supporting communists in East and Central Europe. Moscow sent 22,000 advisers to China soon after the 1949 revolution, helping Beijing prepare the first five-year economic plan. France and the United Kingdom extended help and succour to their former colonies by importing their manpower, which immensely bolstered the faltering economies of the newly emerged states. China, Global Leadership And The Spectre Of World War 3 The case of China is completely different. It is yet to demonstrate such generosity. Beijing is being accused of plundering the resources of developing countries, giving nothing in return. No country where China invested emerged as a modern South Korea or Japan. Developing states didn’t witness any transfer of industries or technology from China. On the contrary, its investment seems to be creating problems for the host states. Sri Lanka could be cited as one of the examples where much-vaunted Chinese investments did not demonstrate any miracles. The island state rather faced a slave master relationship which forced it to surrender its assets. The much-vaunted China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) did not industrialise the Islamic Republic either; instead the Pakistani market has been flooded with Chinese goods and the balance of trade has been in favour of the communist country – not for months or years, but for over two decades now. Most of the Chinese investment was carried out in the power sector, adding to the financial woes of the country. The Chinese joined parasitic independent power producers, claiming huge profits with people of the country paying far more in power bills than they paid before this investment. China secured a number of contracts that had nothing to do with CPEC. Neelam-Jhelum and other construction projects could be cited as examples. Even garbage lifting in cities like Karachi has been doled out to Chinese companies. Its investment in Balochistan did not mitigate the hardships of people there. It is believed that their problems have multiplied owing to the investment, which has also intensified the flames of insurgency. Can Beijing say that it has created any new South Korea? Can it claim that it has rebuilt a shattered economy in any part of the global South? Pakistani policymakers had expected that China would set up industries here or at least shift some of its assembling plants to the Islamic Republic. They followed the Chinese saying that underscores the need of building a nest to attract birds. A number of infrastructure and energy projects have already been completed under CPEC, but the country is yet to witness the growth of industrial development or rise of the manufacturing sector. Some critics believe that given the amount of security and the resources that we spend on the protection of the Chinese indicates that this investment has not been as beneficial as was being expected. Gender Gap In Climate Leadership: Why COP29 Must Elevate Women And Young Girls In Climate Action Some Pakistani policymakers had thought the labour cost in China would rise, prompting that country to shift some of its assembling plants to the Islamic Republic which would provide jobs to local people. It was also expected that China would train Pakistani youth so that they could be adjusted in these assembling plants or Chinese manufacturing units but now it is very clear that China is going to use robots on a massive scale that would address the rising cost of labour in the communist country. Therefore, it would not need cheap Pakistani manpower and it is not Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates that would invite Pakistani labour to do low income jobs. On the contrary more than 60,000 Chinese worked in Pakistan over the years. So instead of providing jobs to Pakistanis, CPEC turned out to be a blessing for Chinese workers who got jobs here and investors who made tons of profit. To be a global power, a hegemon needs a success story. Does China have a success story? It may indeed have a success story for its own people, where it has lifted more than 700 million people out of poverty, raising their living standards, wiping out illiteracy and making tremendous strides in science and technology. But when it comes to its investment in third world countries, can Beijing say that it has created any new South Korea? Can it claim that it has rebuilt a shattered economy in any part of the global South? Critics say it is becoming increasingly clear that China has surplus infrastructure and machinery, prompting the communist country to come up with infrastructure projects. Beijing is still reluctant to help developing countries industrialise themselves. Instead it is trying to flood markets of poor states with cheap Chinese goods. Even if Beijing tries to industrialise these countries, it is not possible for such states to manufacture industrial goods on a mass scale and at reasonable rates. Economic logic says that without mass production cheap goods cannot be manufactured. Legal Battle Between TRG Leadership And Former CEO Heats Up If China really wants to be a global power, it will have to make sacrifices helping countries in the Global South industrialise, creating a vibrant working class that could also influence the way these countries conduct politics. If Beijing keeps on flooding the states in the Global South with its cheap goods, it will be difficult to buy the rhetoric of the communist country that claims Chinese investment is a win-win situation. So far, it seems to be a one-way traffic with balance of trade everywhere seems to be in favour of China because it is capable of producing cheap goods and striking trade deals that overwhelmingly benefit itself. It seems that so far China's economic compulsions have not allowed it to make such sacrifices, because that could affect growth of its own economy – which itself is facing challenges in real estate and other sectors.Sumeet Bagadia, Executive Director at Choice Broking, believes that PSU bank stocks such as and (SBI) may stage a recovery, while private lender ICICI Bank may do well, in case Nifty Bank shows positive momentum this week. He noted that Nifty Bank on the weekly chart sent sideways to bearish signals, as the index struggled to sustain higher levels, indicating a potential trend reversal. It formed a small-bodied bullish candle this past week with a higher wick, highlighting indecision in the market and selling pressure at elevated levels. This pattern underscores weakening bullish sentiment, suggesting a strong likelihood of continued bearish pressure in the upcoming sessions, Bagadia said. "A 'sell on rise' strategy is recommended as long as the index remains below 52,000, with downside targets at 50,700 and 50,200," he said. For the week, Nifty Bank closed at 51,311.30, up 1.09 per cent. On the weekly timeframe, Nifty Bank has closed below its short-term (20-day) Exponential Moving Average (EMA), which could lead to further downside testing at the medium-term (50-day) EMA, the expert said. "The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stands at 50.33, reflecting a recent decline and signaling weakening momentum. The index may encounter significant resistance in the 51,500–51,800 range. If Bank Nifty rises, ICICI Bank from the private banking sector is likely to perform well, while Canara and SBI from the public sector may show potential for a reversal from lower levels," Bagadia said. For the ongoing expiry, Put options showed the highest concentration near the 51,000 and 50,500 strikes, indicating potential support levels. Conversely, Call strikes at 51,500 and 52,000 have significant open interest, marking potential resistance and suggesting a trading range of 50,500–52,000 for the week. Bagadia advised traders to exercise caution, maintain strict stop-loss levels, and avoid overnight long positions to manage risks amid market volatility.