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“You need to start dressing your age; you look like a skater,” a co-worker jocularly told me as I let out a whiny chortle to disguise my unease. I felt momentarily disarmed by the comment because the only skater I knew of was pioneering board rider Tony Hawk – and he dressed like a Mormon. Radical, dude: Brendan Foster was left puzzled after some unprompted fashion advice. Credit: WAtoday I wasn’t deeply wounded by the parting barb, but it got me marinating on what toggery was befitting for someone tumbling into their late 50s. Granted, there was something transparently pretentious about the outfit I was wearing that warranted a bit of ribbing: a $100 pair of Converse boots, designer shorts, and a check western shirt from the funky, clothing outlet Get Lucky in Fremantle. There’s a good chance I would punch someone in the ear if they called me an ageing hapless hipster, but if the shoe fits. But is there a cut-off point for men of my vintage when it comes to frocking up like a more sophisticated Dude (minus the bathrobe) from the brilliant Coen Brothers movie The Big Lebowski ? There was probably more symbolic value to my outfit than I was willing to admit, and most psychiatrists would have a field day with my wardrobe. But should I just ungracefully step into a pair of elasticated trousers as my body starts to betray itself? Whatever threads I cobbled together, there was a premeditated plan and that was to feel good. At the risk of sounding reactionary, it’s a pretty harmless way to elevate your style and wellbeing, regardless of your age. I doubt the people who created the labels I sport had my demography in mind when they were coming up with a new summer range. And I haven’t stumbled across any mannequins dressed in homeless chic. (Before I go any further, I just want to sincerely acknowledge the brutal, constant ugliness women have endured from online trolls for donning certain attire. I am nothing more than a non-playing character in the game of fashion cruelties). So, what the hell should I be wearing as I reluctantly wobble into my autumn years? Remarkably, given the endless disappointing dross you can find online, there is bugger-all advice when it comes to age-appropriate apparel for chaps like me. Maybe the lack of meaningful information is because there is just an expectation, hat we decrepit dudes will morph into Alf Stewart from Home and Away . I mean, when you turn 65, does your WA Seniors Card rock up the mail with a free pair of brown sandals, grey supermarket slacks, white singlets, and handkerchiefs? The pants come with clear instructions on how to hitch them above your navel and an ankle bracelet that sets off an alarm if you attempt to enter any designer stores. There is a secret sect of khaki-dressed, police that re-educates Bohemian Boomers who dare rock a bucket hat, knee-length shorts, and old-school Puma runners. Or maybe men don’t grasp what sociologist Julia Twigg calls “the changing room moment” when it comes to us blokes realising we are too old for certain items. Professor Twigg interviewed men aged between 58 and 85 who were surprisingly comfortable in the kit they’d worn most of their lives. “It is clear men have a different relationship to dress from women, and the research shows that this continues into later life,” she said. “There is less in the way of age anxiety in their choices.” It’s not uncommon for the male species to adopt a certain look in their early 20s and be buried in the first suit they bought 60 years ago. If you disregard the nexus to money, which has allowed me to buy clothing that isn’t from charity shops, my style hasn’t changed since the early 90s. I still have an unhealthy amount of corduroy pants and jackets in my wardrobe and retro shirts and sneakers. There is something comforting and reassuring about finding your own style and a certain empowerment for not caring (and caring) about what you wear. We can delude ourselves that the rags we pluck from the cupboard are not calculated pieces of composition because the pair of tracky-dacks and favourite band T-shirt you just reached for, still make you feel content. The right duds give us confidence. No matter what our age. Hey, if you’re unconvinced, here are some scientific facts. In a paper published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , Adam Galinsky and his co-author Hajo Adam coined the term “enclothed cognition”, which describes the systematic influence that clothes have on the wearer’s psychological processes. The pair believed our garbs had the power to not only impact our mood but also influence the way we feel and interact with the world. “With enclothed cognition, the key idea is not just the wearing of clothes, but the symbolic meaning of the clothes one is wearing,” Galinsky says. I’m not sure the method worked on existentialist thinker John-Paul Sartre, who spent most of his life dressed as a Parisian bus driver. Adam and Galinsky’s theory could also be applied to the workplace, where our cognitive functions or moods shift when we see a person in certain professional attire. I, for one, would feel more assured about getting a rectal exam from a person wearing a stethoscope and lab coat than someone in high-vis. Despite our persistent denial, our clothes send out signals. They play a critical role in shaping our perceptions of who we are. Whether or not my clobber signified to my colleague that I may have missed the “changing room moment”, it didn’t matter. Whatever our generation, the get-up we choose to wear can make us feel attractive, stylish and jolly. As the Shakespeare saying goes, “apparel oft proclaims the man”. Even if that person chooses not to dress their age. Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter .Geneva, Switzerland , Dec. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SEALSQ Corp (NASDAQ: LAES) ("SEALSQ" or "Company"), a company that focuses on developing and selling Semiconductors, PKI, and Post-Quantum technology hardware and software products, today announced that it received formal written confirmation from The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”) confirming that the Company has regained compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement. The regaining of compliance is a result of the Company’s closing bid price of the Ordinary Shares being at least $1.00 for at least 10 consecutive business days prior to January 28, 2025 deadline, as described in the initial notice from Nasdaq received by the Company on August 1, 2024. The closing bid price of the Company’s Ordinary Shares has been at $1.00 per share or greater from December 11 to December 24, 2024. Accordingly, Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Staff has determined that the Company has regained compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), and the matter is now closed. About SEALSQ SEALSQ is a leading innovator in Post-Quantum Technology hardware and software solutions. Our technology seamlessly integrates Semiconductors, PKI (Public Key Infrastructure), and Provisioning Services, with a strategic emphasis on developing state-of-the-art Quantum Resistant Cryptography and Semiconductors designed to address the urgent security challenges posed by quantum computing. As quantum computers advance, traditional cryptographic methods like RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) are increasingly vulnerable. SEALSQ is pioneering the development of Post-Quantum Semiconductors that provide robust, future-proof protection for sensitive data across a wide range of applications, including Multi-Factor Authentication tokens, Smart Energy, Medical and Healthcare Systems, Defense, IT Network Infrastructure, Automotive, and Industrial Automation and Control Systems. By embedding Post-Quantum Cryptography into our semiconductor solutions, SEALSQ ensures that organizations stay protected against quantum threats. Our products are engineered to safeguard critical systems, enhancing resilience and security across diverse industries. For more information on our Post-Quantum Semiconductors and security solutions, please visit www.sealsq.com . Forward Looking Statements This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning SEALSQ Corp and its businesses. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our business strategy, financial performance, results of operations, market data, events or developments that we expect or anticipates will occur in the future, as well as any other statements which are not historical facts. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates which are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that, in our view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements include SEALSQ’s ability to implement its growth strategies; SEALSQ’s ability to successfully launch post-quantum semiconductor technology; SEALSQ’s ability to capture a share of the quantum semiconductor market; the growth of the quantum computing market; SEALSQ’s ability to expand its U.S. operations; SEALSQ’s ability to make additional investments towards the development of a new generation of quantum-ready semiconductors; SEALSQ’s ability to continue beneficial transactions with material parties, including a limited number of significant customers; market demand and semiconductor industry conditions; the growth of the quantum computing market; and the risks discussed in SEALSQ’s filings with the SEC. Risks and uncertainties are further described in reports filed by SEALSQ with the SEC. SEALSQ Corp is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Lakers' Pelinka Thanks D'Angelo Russell After Trade, Hypes Finney-Smith's 'Toughness'
Travis Kelce was desperate to get out of work to watch Taylor Swift's last ever Eras Tour performance - the singer's fans are sure. On Sunday night, the 34-year-old Style singer concluded her two-year-long Eras Tour at the BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, Canada. However, boyfriend Travis, 35, was thousands of miles away as his NFL team Kansas City were taking on the LA Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium in his home state. Travis has wathced the Eras Tour an impressive 14 times, and fans watching his latest American football match were convinced he was itching to escape a post-match interview to watch his girlfriend sing instead. Many watching the sport were sure Travis looked uninterested while talking to the press after the game on Sunday - despite the Kansas City team winning 19-17. One X user commented: "Let that boy get his friendship bracelets and merch on." Another remarked: "He just wants to see blank space on livestream." And another wrote: "He was NOT missing 1989 omfg get that man home to see blank space one last time." While Travis has seen Taylor's show 14 times, fans have noticed that she is yet to attend a Chiefs game during the current season. This is despite him playing games against the New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens. Earlier this year, a vicious rumour emerged that Taylor and Travis were only together as a publicity stunt and that they had a watertight agreement in place to annul their romance in September after a full year of dating. The sensational rumour began after an individual claiming to be an employee at the PR firm that represents Travis leaked a document online. The paperwork claimed to compose a "Comprehensive Media Plan for Travis Kelce's Public Relations Following Breakup with Taylor Swift ". A social media post about the alleged contract sparked furious speculation among fans - and an even more furious denial from the PR firm who insisted the document was "entirely false and fabricated" and confirmed that they “were not created, issued, or authorized by this agency". They added: "We have engaged our legal team to take action against those responsible for this unlawful and damaging document forgery." Nervous fans were then relieved as September came and went - with the couple maintaining their relationship which is still said to be going strong. On Sunday, Taylor gave an emotional speech as she brought her epic Eras tour to a close after almost two years on the road. She gushed on stage: “Making friends and bringing joy to each other, that is I think the lasting legacy of this tour, is the fact that you have created such a space of joy and togetherness and love. I couldn’t be more proud of you, honestly that is all you. That is what people think about when they think about this tour, is how they felt out in the crowd with you. I just want to say that, you’re why this is so special. And you supporting me for as long as you have is why I get to take these lovely walks down memory every single night because you cared about every era of my entire life that I've been making music, so thank you.” Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads.Broncos cornerback Riley Moss is set to return after missing a month with knee injuryJimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100
I am sitting in our apartment a day or two before Christmas. It is an extremely cold, wintery day, and I hesitate to go outside, fearful of falling. So, I am trying to conjure up more pleasurable memories of times when my wife and I could walk miles exploring the city, when many more friends were alive and our social life was modestly full. But I especially try to remember images of my many years of teaching that gave me intense pleasure and the feeling that I was doing meaningful work. I can vividly recall my first years at my experimental CUNY college (over 55 years ago) that was anomalously placed in conservative, working- and lower-middle-class Staten Island. The courses were basically ungraded, and they were informally and democratically structured with most of the students taking on the trappings of the counterculture: long hair, beards, and totally informal dress (sweatshirts, t-shirts, jeans, sandals). I was always addressed as Lenny, not Professor Quart, and we sat on the floor in a circle that sometimes included the students’ dogs. The courses dealt with a range of topics; two of my favorites were entitled “Self and Society” and “Modern Views of Man.” They were courses that could encompass a large variety of films, fiction, and essays as their curricula. The underlying idea of the course was to introduce the students to the great books and films and get them talking about the works, but also about their own lives. It was the 1960s, and our experimental courses had to have psychological and social relevance—sometimes sacrificing the aesthetics of the books and films and even the substance of the works themselves for digressive discussions of the students’ personal feelings and lives. At their best, the classes flourished with many students participating and passionate talk that at times was truly revelatory—about their own lives and about the human condition itself. But at their worst, they could feel chaotic and there were students who just zoned out (sometimes smoking weed), paying no attention to what was being discussed. And without exams and grades, there were few mechanisms that we could coerce or punish the students for doing next to nothing or even missing most of the classes. The commitment to experimental education did not survive for many reasons, and that will be the subject of another piece. But I still remember those classes when a discussion of a Bergman film or an early Doris Lessing novel came alive and many students participated, some even ardently and eloquently. I should add that these were students who mainly did not come from homes where high culture played much or any role. Those were radiant moments that I can’t forget.
Tens of thousands of Spaniards protest housing crunch and high rents in Barcelona
MIKEL ARTETA says he will send a scan of Bukayo Saka’s injury to anyone claiming the winger was fit for England duty. Three Lions skipper Harry Kane questioned the commitment of some players after Saka and eight others withdrew from the latest squad. Saka scored for Arsenal on Saturday after recovering from his thigh injury. Boss Arteta said: “We can send them the MRI scan, it’s very simple.” Saka scored one and made one in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Arteta added: “The communication was very clear between the medical staff of Arsenal and the national team. “He needed time to heal. He has done one training session.” Saka and club-mate Declan Rice were named in Lee Carsley’s original 26-man squad for the Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland. Both had come off in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea. Arsenal sent Saka for a scan and the results were shared with England’s medical team who said the player should remain with the Gunners for treatment. FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS Rice pulled out as he was playing with a broken toe. Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill also withdrew, as did Manchester City’s Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, plus Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite — those five all played for their clubs yesterday. Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale (finger) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh) of Liverpool also called off Three Lions duty. Kane, who was himself carrying a knock, did not hide his disappointment. He had said: “England comes before anything. It comes before club.” Palmer, 22, played 90 minutes before and after the international break. But his Blues boss Enzo Maresca denies Chelsea are pressuring him to put club before country. He snapped: “Absolutely not. I’m not thinking about Harry Kane, or what he’s saying.”
Disney dream comes trueThe people that president-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All of them could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a new political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans' health — from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. And if Congress approves, at the helm of the team as Department of Health and Human Services secretary will be prominent environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. By and large, the nominees don't have experience running large bureaucratic agencies, but they know how to talk about health on TV . Centers for Medicare and Medicaid pick Dr. Mehmet Oz hosted a talk show for 13 years and is a well-known wellness and lifestyle influencer. The pick for the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, and for surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, are frequent Fox News contributors. Many on the list were critical of COVID-19 measures like masking and booster vaccinations for young people. Some of them have ties to Florida like many of Trump's other Cabinet nominees: CDC pick Dr. Dave Weldon represented the state in Congress for 14 years and is affiliated with a medical group on the state's Atlantic coast. Nesheiwat's brother-in-law is Rep. Mike Waltz , R-Fla., tapped by Trump as national security adviser. Here's a look at the nominees' potential role in carrying out what Kennedy says is the task to “reorganize” agencies, which have an overall $1.7 billion budget; employ 80,000 scientists, researchers, doctors and other officials; and affect the lives of all Americans. The Atlanta-based CDC, with a $9.2 billion core budget, is charged with protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats. Kennedy has long attacked vaccines and criticized the CDC, repeatedly alleging corruption at the agency. He said on a 2023 podcast that there is "no vaccine that is safe and effective,” and urged people to resist the CDC's guidelines on if and when kids should get vaccinated . Decades ago, Kennedy found common ground with Weldon , the 71-year-old nominee to run the CDC who served in the Army and worked as an internal medicine doctor before he represented a central Florida congressional district from 1995 to 2009. Starting in the early 2000s, Weldon had a prominent part in a debate about whether there was a relationship between a vaccine preservative called thimerosal and autism. He was a founding member of the Congressional Autism Caucus and tried to ban thimerosal from all vaccines. Kennedy, then a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, believed there was a tie between thimerosal and autism and also charged that the government hid documents showing the danger. Since 2001, all vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market and routinely recommended for children 6 years or younger have contained no thimerosal or only trace amounts, with the exception of inactivated influenza vaccine. Meanwhile, study after study after study found no evidence that thimerosal caused autism. Weldon's congressional voting record suggests he may go along with Republican efforts to downsize the CDC, including to eliminate the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, which works on topics like drownings, drug overdoses and shooting deaths. Weldon also voted to ban federal funding for needle-exchange programs as an approach to reduce overdoses, and the National Rifle Association gave him an “A” rating for his pro-gun rights voting record. Kennedy is extremely critical of the FDA, which has 18,000 employees and is responsible for the safety and effectiveness of prescription drugs, vaccines and other medical products — as well as overseeing cosmetics, electronic cigarettes and most foods. Makary, Trump’s pick to run the FDA, is closely aligned with Kennedy on several topics . The professor at Johns Hopkins University who is a trained surgeon and cancer specialist has decried the overprescribing of drugs, the use of pesticides on foods and the undue influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies over doctors and government regulators. Kennedy has suggested he'll clear our “entire” FDA departments and also recently threatened to fire FDA employees for “aggressive suppression” of a host of unsubstantiated products and therapies, including stem cells, raw milk , psychedelics and discredited COVID-era treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Makary's contrarian views during the COVID-19 pandemic including the need for masking and giving young kids COVID vaccine boosters. But anything Makary and Kennedy might want to do when it comes to unwinding FDA regulations or revoking long-standing vaccine and drug approvals would be challenging. The agency has lengthy requirements for removing medicines from the market, which are based on federal laws passed by Congress. The agency provides health care coverage for more than 160 million people through Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, and also sets Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors and other providers. With a $1.1 trillion budget and more than 6,000 employees, Oz has a massive agency to run if confirmed — and an agency that Kennedy hasn't talked about much when it comes to his plans. While Trump tried to scrap the Affordable Care Act in his first term, Kennedy has not taken aim at it yet. But he has been critical of Medicaid and Medicare for covering expensive weight-loss drugs — though they're not widely covered by either . Trump said during his campaign that he would protect Medicare, which provides insurance for older Americans. Oz has endorsed expanding Medicare Advantage — a privately run version of Medicare that is popular but also a source of widespread fraud — in an AARP questionnaire during his failed 2022 bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania and in a 2020 Forbes op-ed with a former Kaiser Permanente CEO. Oz also said in a Washington Examiner op-ed with three co-writers that aging healthier and living longer could help fix the U.S. budget deficit because people would work longer and add more to the gross domestic product. Neither Trump nor Kennedy have said much about Medicaid, the insurance program for low-income Americans. Trump's first administration reshaped the program by allowing states to introduce work requirements for recipients. Kennedy doesn't appear to have said much publicly about what he'd like to see from surgeon general position, which is the nation's top doctor and oversees 6,000 U.S. Public Health Service Corps members. The surgeon general has little administrative power, but can be an influential government spokesperson on what counts as a public health danger and what to do about it — suggesting things like warning labels for products and issuing advisories. The current surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, declared gun violence as a public health crisis in June. Trump's pick, Nesheiwat, is employed as a New York City medical director with CityMD, a group of urgent care facilities in the New York and New Jersey area, and has been at City MD for 12 years. She also has appeared on Fox News and other TV shows, authored a book on the “transformative power of prayer” in her medical career and endorses a brand of vitamin supplements. She encouraged COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, calling them “a gift from God” in a February 2021 Fox News op-ed, as well as anti-viral pills like Paxlovid. In a 2019 Q&A with the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation , Nesheiwat said she is a “firm believer in preventive medicine” and “can give a dissertation on hand-washing alone.” As of Saturday, Trump had not yet named his choice to lead the National Institutes of Health, which funds medical research through grants to researchers across the nation and conducts its own research. It has a $48 billion budget. Kennedy has said he'd pause drug development and infectious disease research to shift the focus to chronic diseases. He'd like to keep NIH funding from researchers with conflicts of interest, and criticized the agency in 2017 for what he said was not doing enough research into the role of vaccines in autism — an idea that has long been debunked . Associated Press writers Amanda Seitz and Matt Perrone and AP editor Erica Hunzinger contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.How Trump's 'border czar' is envisioning his mass deportation plan: From the Politics Desk
No one knows quite what to do with Thanksgiving since most of what we think of as “tradition” is bogus, former Historic Jamestowne interpreter Karla K. Bruno writes in a guest column.Lawyer Says Ex-Temple Basketball Standout Hysier Miller Met With NCAA for Hours Amid Gambling Probe
Court challenge over vote to extend post-Brexit trading arrangements dismissedWhen the tsunami hit India on December 26, 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , then just a few months at the helm, faced not only a grave national tragedy, but also a moment where India would be tested internationally. Contrary to his quiet demeanour, Dr. Singh, who died on the same day 20 years later , made several bold decisions in the hours that followed, recount officials who served with him. The first was that India would not accept aid from abroad and would manage the crisis internally. The second, that India would help others who had been hit by the giant waves that took more than 2,30,000 lives across the Indian Ocean. Within hours, the government cleared naval and air force missions to Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, with a total of 32 Indian ships and 5,500 troops joining the international effort, which announced India’s arrival on the global scene as a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) first responder. The third decision was to coordinate regularly with others involved in the effort, most notably the U.S., Japan and Australia, in meetings that led to the formation of the Quad. Also read | Manmohan Singh: A forthright Finance Minister Within a year, however, Dr. Singh’s government was hit by a political tsunami, also of international proportions, as his External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh had to resign over the Volcker oil-for-food bribery scandal. He replaced him with his most senior colleague Pranab Mukherjee, and later with S.M. Krishna, but Dr. Singh never really gave up control of Indian foreign policy, and his imprint on each foray was unmistakeable. Journalists who spoke to him were always struck by how closely he followed all international events, and he would frequently invite those who travelled to one country or another of interest to his 7 Race Course Road for a cup of tea and a serious chat. Although he was sometimes criticised by the Opposition for being “maun” or silent, Dr. Singh was a prolific communicator when it came to his foreign policy. He made a point of speaking to the journalists who travelled with him, off the record, at least once on his way to any country. On his way back, he almost always held a press conference on board, answering questions about the visit, and also on other issues of the moment. At a book launch of his speeches in 2018, Dr. Singh referred to this practice, defending himself against the charge that he didn’t engage the media. “I certainly was not a Prime Minister who was afraid of talking to the press,” he said, pointedly. Two policy breakthroughs The engagement with the Quad, though short-lived until it was revived in 2017, also laid the path for two of Dr. Singh’s biggest foreign policy breakthroughs: with Japan, that ended India’s isolation over the nuclear tests of 1998. He began a new chapter along with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who referred to Dr. Singh as his “mentor or guru”. The other was the engagement with the United States for the civil nuclear deal. Without agreeing to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Dr. Singh’s team of negotiators were able to win waivers at the Nuclear Suppliers Group that also opened up the path for India and the U.S. to collaborate together in a number of areas, and freed up India’s access to nuclear energy. Dr. Singh’s personal ties with U.S. President George W. Bush, whom he controversially told in 2008, “The people of India deeply love you”, and with his successor President Barack Obama, who has often spoke of his admiration for Dr. Singh’s intellect and wisdom, were a key part of the relationship. In this November 8, 2010 file image, US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh greet each other after addressing a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: PTI Former Foreign Secretary and Dr. Singh’s special envoy on climate change Shyam Saran recounts how deeply the Prime Minister involved himself in the progress of negotiations. When talks hit a wall over nuclear fuel “reprocessing rights” for example, Dr. Singh went directly up to President Bush with the problem on the sidelines of a multilateral summit. Within no time, Mr. Bush directed his officials to “make it happen”. In an interview to The Hindu when former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee died, Dr. Singh said in a non-partisan moment – now quite rare in Indian politics – that he had followed a path shown by Mr. Vajpayee in two areas. “In relations with the United States, and ties with Pakistan, I took more or less the same line as Mr. Vajpayee had taken,” he said, adding, “I think that relations in our neighbourhood, and that includes China, are important for India to realise its chosen destiny.” n this Saturday, September 16, 2006 file image, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf after a bilateral meeting during the 14th Nonaligned Summit in Havana, Cuba. | Photo Credit: PTI However, while the U.S engagement brought Dr. Singh accolades, the outreaches to Pakistan frequently ended in frustration. From the very beginning as Prime Minister, he picked up the 2003 Vajpayee-Musharraf dialogue, appointing veteran diplomat Satinder Lambah as his envoy for back-channel dialogues with Pakistan on a plan for a peace treaty and the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir issue. As Mr. Lambah records in his book In Pursuit of Peace, Dr. Singh was clear about the parameters of the agreements – that these would involve “making borders irrelevant” without any territorial consequences. In another interview to this reporter just before the 2009 elections, he admitted candidly that the 2008 Mumbai attacks had put paid to any plans for peace with Pakistan. However, he did not believe there was a choice but to continue to try and engage with the neighbour. A decade later, Dr. Singh was sharply criticised for not carrying out strikes on Pakistan in retaliation for the terror attacks with a clear trail to its intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). However, as Shiv Shankar Menon writes in his memoir Choices , it was a decision that he may not have agreed with himself, but that paid in terms of appreciation internationally for India’s restraint. The process that began then for accountability still continues, but in the years that followed 2008, the government was able to successfully pursue the case for sanctioning Pakistan under the Financial Action Task Force, and prevail on countries like the U.S. and the U.K. to step up pressure for action against terror groups by Pakistan. India’s coming of age internationally, in one sense, came in 2010, when Dr. Singh hosted the leaders of every UN Security Council permanent member in Delhi. In this Dec. 31, 2007 photo, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh with Russian president Vladimir Putin on his arrival at Air Force Station Palam in New Delhi | Photo Credit: PTI Despite the continuing trouble with Pakistan, Dr. Singh continued to try and engage with its leaders, meeting Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, and then PM Nawaz Sharif. In his drawing room at Motilal Nehru Marg in Delhi, he would point to a painting – of his native village in Pakistan – that President Pervez Musharraf had gifted him, and he had exchanged with him a photograph of Musharraf’s family home in Daryaganj, the “Neher wali Haveli”. While he was clear that he could never travel to Pakistan as PM until its policy on terrorism changed, Dr. Singh did allow himself a brief look of regret, as he spoke of his desire to visit his home across the border just once. Published - December 27, 2024 01:38 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit international relations / diplomacy / Indian National Congress / death
The TOI Entertainment Desk is a dynamic and dedicated team of journalists, working tirelessly to bring the pulse of the entertainment world straight to the readers of The Times of India. No red carpet goes unrolled, no stage goes dark - our team spans the globe, bringing you the latest scoops and insider insights from Bollywood to Hollywood, and every entertainment hotspot in between. We don't just report; we tell tales of stardom and stories untold. Whether it's the rise of a new sensation or the seasoned journey of an industry veteran, the TOI Entertainment Desk is your front-row seat to the fascinating narratives that shape the entertainment landscape. Beyond the breaking news, we present a celebration of culture. We explore the intersections of entertainment with society, politics, and everyday life. Read More Malavika Mohanan redefines elegance in a timeless red chiffon saree 9 morning habits to get rid of stomach discomfort 9 popular Korean desserts to try before 2024 ends Inside Alia Bhatt's love-filled Christmas celebration with Ranbir Kapoor, Raha and family 10 perfect baby names for kids born on a Thursday 10 countries with most cancer rates, see where India stands 10 things true friends don't do New Year dishes traditionally prepared in various Indian states In pics: Anil Ambani's grand and luxurious home 'Abode'
TFI International Inc. (TFII) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.45 on January 15thNone