NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to a “sudden loss of consciousness at home,” the hospital said in a statement. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency” at 8:06 p.m., the hospital said, but “despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 p.m.” Singh was being treated for “age-related medical conditions,” the statement said. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and leader of the Congress Party in the Parliament's Upper House, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. He was chosen to fill the role in 2004 by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi . But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. Singh was reelected in 2009, but his second term as prime minister was clouded by financial scandals and corruption charges over the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This led to the Congress Party’s crushing defeat in the 2014 national election by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Narendra Modi . Singh adopted a low profile after relinquishing the post of prime minister. Prime Minister Modi, who succeeded Singh in 2014, called him one of India’s “most distinguished leaders” who rose from humble origins and left “a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years.” “As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” Modi said in a post on the social platform X. He called Singh’s interventions in Parliament as a lawmaker “insightful” and said “his wisdom and humility were always visible.” Rahul Gandhi, from the same party as Singh and the opposition leader in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, said Singh’s “deep understanding of economics inspired the nation” and that he “led India with immense wisdom and integrity.” “I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride,” Gandhi wrote on X. The United States offered its condolences, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that Singh was “one of the greatest champions of the U.S.-India strategic partnership.” “We mourn Dr. Singh’s passing and will always remember his dedication to bringing the United States and India closer together,” Blinken said. Born on Sept. 26, 1932, in a village in the Punjab province of undivided India, Singh’s brilliant academic career took him to Cambridge University in Britain, where he earned a degree in economics in 1957. He then got his doctorate in economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962. Singh taught at Panjab University and the prestigious Delhi School of Economics before joining the Indian government in 1971 as economic advisor in the Commerce Ministry. In 1982, he became chief economic adviser to the Finance Ministry. He also served as deputy chair of the Planning Commission and governor of the Reserve Bank of India. As finance minister, Singh in 1991 instituted reforms that opened up the economy and moved India away from a socialist-patterned economy and toward a capitalist model in the face of a huge balance of payments deficit, skirting a potential economic crisis. His accolades include the 1987 Padma Vibhushan Award, India’s second-highest civilian honor; the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress in 1995; and the Asia Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year in 1993 and 1994. Singh was a member of India’s Upper House of Parliament and was leader of the opposition from 1998 to 2004 before he was named prime minister. He was the first Sikh to hold the country’s top post and made a public apology in Parliament for the 1984 Sikh Massacre in which some 3,000 Sikhs were killed after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards. Under Singh, India adopted a Right to Information Act in 2005 to promote accountability and transparency from government officials and bureaucrats. He was also instrumental in implementing a welfare scheme that guaranteed at least 100 paid workdays for Indian rural citizens. The coalition government he headed for a decade brought together politicians and parties with differing ideologies that were rivals in the country’s various states. In a move hailed as one of his biggest achievements apart from economic reforms, Singh ended India’s nuclear isolation by signing a deal with the U.S. that gave India access to American nuclear technology. But the deal hit his government adversely, with Communist allies withdrawing support and criticism of the agreement growing within India in 2008 when it was finalized. Singh adopted a pragmatic foreign policy approach, pursuing a peace process with nuclear rival and neighbor Pakistan. But his efforts suffered a major setback after Pakistani militants carried out a massive gun and bomb attack in Mumbai in November 2008. He also tried to end the border dispute with China, brokering a deal to reopen the Nathu La pass into Tibet, which had been closed for more than 40 years. His 1965 book, “India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth,” dealt with India’s inward-oriented trade policy. Singh is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur and three daughters. Associated Press writer Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi contributed to this report.“My Driver and I” was supposed to be made in 2016, but was scuttled amid Saudi Arabia's decades-long cinema ban. Eight years later, the landscape for film in the kingdom looks much different — and the star of “My Driver and I” now has an award. Roula Dakheelallah was named the winner of the Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent award at the Red Sea International Film Festival on Thursday. The award — and the glitzy festival itself — is a sign of Saudi Arabia's commitment to shaping a new film industry. “My heart is attached to cinema and art; I have always dreamed of a moment like this,” Dakheelallah, who still works a 9-5 job, told The Associated Press before the awards ceremony. “I used to work in voluntary films and help my friends in the field, but this is my first big role in a film.” The reopening of cinemas in 2018 marked a cultural turning point for Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy that had instituted the ban 35 years before, under the influence of ultraconservative religious authorities. It has since invested heavily in a native film industry by building theaters and launching programs to support local filmmakers through grants and training. The Red Sea International Film Festival was launched just a year later, part of an attempt to expand Saudi influence into films, gaming, sports and other cultural fields. Activists have decried the investments as whitewashing the kingdom’s human rights record as it tightly controls speech and remains one of the world’s top executioners. With FIFA awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia this week, Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi activist with the London-based rights group ALQST, said Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman “has really managed to create this bubble where people only see entertainment and they don’t see the reality on the ground.” These efforts are part of Vision 2030, an ambitious reform plan unveiled in 2016 to ease the economy's dependence on oil. As part of it, Saudi Arabia plans to construct 350 cinemas with over 2,500 movie screens — by this past April, across 22 cities, it already had 66 cinemas showing movies from the local film industry, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood. (The Red Sea International Film Festival attracts a host of talent from the latter industries, with Viola Davis and Priyanka Chopra Jonas also picking up awards Thursday.) The country's General Entertainment Authority last month opened Al Hisn Studios on the outskirts of Riyadh. As one of the largest such production hubs in the Middle East, it not only includes several film studios but also a production village with workshops for carpentry, blacksmithing and fashion tailoring. “These facilities, when they exist, will stimulate filmmakers,” said Saudi actor Mohammed Elshehri. “Today, no writer or director has an excuse to imagine and say, ‘I cannot implement my imagination.’” The facilities are one part of the equation — the content itself is another. One of the major players in transforming Saudi filmmaking has been Telfaz11, a media company founded in 2011 that began as a YouTube channel and quickly became a trailblazer. Producing high-quality digital content such as short films, comedy sketches and series, Telfaz11 offered fresh perspectives on Saudi and regional issues. In 2020, Telfaz11 signed a partnership with Netflix to produce original content for the streaming giant. The result has been movies that demonstrate an evolution on the storytelling level, tackling topics that were once off-limits and sensitive to the public like secret nightlife in “Mandoob” (“Night Courier”) and changing social norms in “Naga.” “I think we tell our stories in a very simple way, and that’s what reaches the world,” Elshehri says of the changing shift. “When you tell your story in a natural way without any affectation, it will reach every person.” But the films were not without their critics, drawing mixed reaction. Social media discoursed ranged from pleasure that Saudi film were tackling such topics to anger over how the films reflected conservative society. As Hana Al-Omair, a Saudi writer and director, points out, there are still many stories left untold. “We certainly have a long time ahead of us before we can tell the Saudi narrative as it should be,” she said, acknowledging that there are still barriers and rampant censorship. “The Goat Life,” a Malayalam-language movie about an Indian man forced to work without pay in Saudi Arabia, is not available on Netflix's platform in the country. Movies that explore political topics or LGBTQ+ stories are essentially out of the question. Even “My Driver and I,” featured at the Red Sea festival alongside 11 other Saudi feature-length films, was initially too controversial. It centers on a Sudanese man in Jeddah , living away from his own daughter, who feels responsible for the girl he drives as her parents are absent. It was initially blocked from being made because of the relationship between the girl and the driver, filmmaker Ahd Kamel has said, even though it's not a romantic relationship. Now in 2024, the film is a success story — a symbol of the Saudi film industry's evolution as well as the growing role of women like Kamel behind the camera and Dakheelallah in front of it. “I see the change in Saudi cinema, a very beautiful change and it is moving at a wonderful speed. In my opinion, we do not need to rush,” Dakheelallah said. “We need to guide the truth of the artistic movement that is happening in Saudi Arabia.”
White House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaignGabriela Serpa, comic actress of ‘ JB on ATV ‘, was surprised live during her participation in ‘ Magaly TV, the firm ‘, where it was revealed that her lawyer, Elio Riera, who sent her romantic gifts, has a partner and even a daughter. Serpa denied being aware of this information and assured that she has no interest in maintaining a relationship with him, generating a stir in the entertainment world. Gabriela Serpa clarifies her relationship with Elio Riera The model Gabriela Serpa appeared on the program Magaly Medina to talk about the controversy generated by the romantic gifts he received from his lawyer, Elio Riera . In the space hosted by ‘Urraca’, it was revealed that Riera has a partner and even a daughter, a fact unknown to Serpa until that moment. “I didn’t know he was compromised... There is nothing to hide, because the doctor has never pursued me or anything, nor has he told me ‘hey, we have to go out’. It’s the doctor’s problem,” Serpa clarified before the cameras. The controversy began when Serpa boasted on his social networks the romantic details sent by Riera. However, the show’s production discovered that the lawyer was in a relationship. Riera’s partner, upon finding out about his flirtations with the actress, published a message on social networks calling him “disloyal, a liar and unfaithful”, which sparked even more controversy. Elio Riera also sent gifts to other influencers During the program, Magaly Medina revealed a new twist in the story: Elio Riera would have sent similar gifts to Vanessa Lopez ex-partner of ‘Tomato’ Barraza . Given this information, Gabriela Serpa reacted with surprise: “Ah, I’m not the only one,” she commented, making it clear that she was unaware of the lawyer’s intentions. Although she admitted that she frequented Riera’s office for legal issues, Serpa assured that she has no interest in a romance with him. “I don’t see anything wrong with him, what’s my fault, Magaly. I’m not innocent, but I don’t have anything to do with his relationship problems either,” added the actress, seeking to distance herself from the scandal. Join our entertainment channelMbappé enduring 'difficult moment' as he misses another penalty kick and Madrid loses to Athletic
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MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) — Isaiah Smith ran for a career-high 205 yards on 31 carries and scored a touchdown and San Diego beat Morehead State 37-14 in a season-ending contest for both teams on Saturday. Grant Sergent threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns for San Diego (8-3, 6-2 Pioneer Football League) which ended the season with a four-game win streak and winners of six of seven. The Toreros finished in sole possession of second place in the PFL behind Drake (7-1), which clinched the league outright with a 49-10 win over Stetson on Saturday. Drake beat San Diego 30-28 on a walk-off field goal on Sept. 28 in Des Moines, Iowa. Bryce Patterson threw for 133 yards and a touchdown and James Louis ran for a touchdown for the Eagles (7-5, 5-3). ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP collegebasketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
How Long Will the "Trump Bump" for the Stock Market Last? Here's What History Shows.Apple Inc. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors despite daily gains
As President-elect Donald Trump shapes his second administration, the country is getting a preview of what the next four years may look like. Early in December Trump filled the last slot of his core cabinet with Brooke Rollin's Secretary of Agriculture nomination. Now he has started to flesh out different departments and name additional leaders for his upcoming term. Among those named are several celebrity figures like TV show host Mehmet Oz , better known as Dr. Oz, who Trump tapped for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator. There's also former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon who was picked to lead the Department of Education and former NFL player Scott Turner named to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Trump has brought some newer faces to America's top politics with investment company executive and art collector John Phelan and media host Sebastian Gorka. The two have been named as Secretary of the Navy and Senior Director for Counterterrorism, respectively. Other notable names include disbarred attorney Charles Kushner as Trump's pick for Ambassador to France. Kushner is Trump's son-in-law's father and was pardoned by Trump in 2020 after pleading guilty in 2003 to having made false statements to the Federal Election Commission, among other subsequent charges. Trump has announced new roles will be coming in his administration, most notably the Department of Government Efficiency that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have been appointed to lead. The group, coined "DOGE," has been tasked with eliminating excess government waste and spending. Trump has also asked technology investor David Sacks to act as his new AI and crypto czar , and has named former acting ICE director Tom Homan as the country's border czar. While nearly 100 positions have been named, many still face what may be a long and arduous Senate confirmation process ahead — one that some may not make it through. Already, some of the picks have caused controversy. Facing opposition over alleged sex trafficking , Trump's initial pick for attorney general, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew from the nomination. Trump has now called former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi up to fill the role. Questions have also circled around Trump's selection of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. The Fox News political commentator has come under scrutiny for a sexual assault allegation , which he has denied, and has been meeting with senators to salvage the nomination.Slot: Man City's drop-off shows it’s too early to celebrate
NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to a “sudden loss of consciousness at home,” the hospital said in a statement. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency” at 8:06 p.m., the hospital said, but “despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 p.m.” Singh was being treated for “age-related medical conditions,” the statement said. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and leader of the Congress Party in the Parliament's Upper House, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. He was chosen to fill the role in 2004 by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi . But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. Singh was reelected in 2009, but his second term as prime minister was clouded by financial scandals and corruption charges over the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This led to the Congress Party’s crushing defeat in the 2014 national election by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Narendra Modi . Singh adopted a low profile after relinquishing the post of prime minister. Prime Minister Modi, who succeeded Singh in 2014, called him one of India’s “most distinguished leaders” who rose from humble origins and left “a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years.” “As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” Modi said in a post on the social platform X. He called Singh’s interventions in Parliament as a lawmaker “insightful” and said “his wisdom and humility were always visible.” Rahul Gandhi, from the same party as Singh and the opposition leader in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, said Singh’s “deep understanding of economics inspired the nation” and that he “led India with immense wisdom and integrity.” “I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride,” Gandhi wrote on X. The United States offered its condolences, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that Singh was “one of the greatest champions of the U.S.-India strategic partnership.” “We mourn Dr. Singh’s passing and will always remember his dedication to bringing the United States and India closer together,” Blinken said. Born on Sept. 26, 1932, in a village in the Punjab province of undivided India, Singh’s brilliant academic career took him to Cambridge University in Britain, where he earned a degree in economics in 1957. He then got his doctorate in economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962. Singh taught at Panjab University and the prestigious Delhi School of Economics before joining the Indian government in 1971 as economic advisor in the Commerce Ministry. In 1982, he became chief economic adviser to the Finance Ministry. He also served as deputy chair of the Planning Commission and governor of the Reserve Bank of India. As finance minister, Singh in 1991 instituted reforms that opened up the economy and moved India away from a socialist-patterned economy and toward a capitalist model in the face of a huge balance of payments deficit, skirting a potential economic crisis. His accolades include the 1987 Padma Vibhushan Award, India’s second-highest civilian honor; the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress in 1995; and the Asia Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year in 1993 and 1994. Singh was a member of India’s Upper House of Parliament and was leader of the opposition from 1998 to 2004 before he was named prime minister. He was the first Sikh to hold the country’s top post and made a public apology in Parliament for the 1984 Sikh Massacre in which some 3,000 Sikhs were killed after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards. Under Singh, India adopted a Right to Information Act in 2005 to promote accountability and transparency from government officials and bureaucrats. He was also instrumental in implementing a welfare scheme that guaranteed at least 100 paid workdays for Indian rural citizens. The coalition government he headed for a decade brought together politicians and parties with differing ideologies that were rivals in the country’s various states. In a move hailed as one of his biggest achievements apart from economic reforms, Singh ended India’s nuclear isolation by signing a deal with the U.S. that gave India access to American nuclear technology. But the deal hit his government adversely, with Communist allies withdrawing support and criticism of the agreement growing within India in 2008 when it was finalized. Singh adopted a pragmatic foreign policy approach, pursuing a peace process with nuclear rival and neighbor Pakistan. But his efforts suffered a major setback after Pakistani militants carried out a massive gun and bomb attack in Mumbai in November 2008. He also tried to end the border dispute with China, brokering a deal to reopen the Nathu La pass into Tibet, which had been closed for more than 40 years. His 1965 book, “India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth,” dealt with India’s inward-oriented trade policy. Singh is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur and three daughters. Associated Press writer Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi contributed to this report.MGM Resorts International stock rises Wednesday, still underperforms marketBrandon Granger, the son of Texas Republican Rep. Kay Granger, informed the Dallas Express his mother has been battling “some dementia issues late in the year” and had been residing in an assisted-care facility for the last half year. The most recent vote she casted on the House floor was in July, and she has been absent for more than 300 votes since that time. While this is certainly alarming news to hear, Granger is hardly an anomaly The median age of senators in the incoming 119th Congress will be 64 years old. In the House, the average age is 59. A majority of our current Supreme Court is past or approaching retirement age. Do senior officials possess the mental capacity or innovation crucial to lead the country? Soon-to-be former president Joe Biden was just one example of the frailty of officials who demonstrated a decline in motor skills. The late Sen. Dianne Feinstein was a prime and depressing example of someone who should have stepped down before she was visibly impaired. Mitch McConnell, who was the victim of a few sporadic frozen public episodes, stepped down from Senate leadership but will remain in office until his term expires in 2026. The senility issues of a sizable segment of numerous powerful and influential leaders in Washington are a quiet but growing scandal. Increasing public concern about leaders who are defiant and resist any suggestion to exit while their mental faculties are intact is amplified by a Congress that appears to be psychologically indifferent and confined to the days of yesteryear bereft of the political acumen crucial to effectively combat modern problems. Many are devoid of the ever-increasing social media platforms that are essential in effectively connecting with younger as well as middle-aged voting blocks. A number of polls earlier this year showed public unease about the ages of Biden and 78-year-old Donald Trump. Polls show upwards of 70% of Americans support the idea of implementing an age limit on candidates for president and for Congress, and a mandatory retirement age for Supreme Court justices, potential legal challenges notwithstanding. In the early 1990s, certain activists employed such an initiative process to ratify passage of term limits on Congress in more than 20 states, without a single loss. Back in 1995, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that states cannot arbitrarily impose such term limits. Almost three decades later, the idea remains overwhelmingly popular as ever. If you have to be a certain age to run for certain offices, which makes sense, then shouldn’t there be an age limit to prohibit persons from inhabiting certain positions? Many high-ranking members of Congress have amassed colossal donor networks that provide them unchallengeable job protection, so they routinely recite the same fatigued-filled arguments against establishing term limits. Many of them claim it would result in staff and underlings running government affairs, only that’s largely happening now! Most senators born before 1950 (and there are a disproportionate number of them) struggle with acute memory loss, cognitive decline and other health issues that often accompany most people as they get older. It is highly obscene for our nation to let a potentially vibrant and well-received reform such as term limits for Congress be stifled by members’ refusal to relinquish power. No one is saying that “no one over 60 need apply” to run for Congress. In fact, some elderly members would be very effective in serving in advisory capacities. Nonetheless, the nuts and bolts coupled with the daily demands of an increasingly complex nation and larger world require men and women who possess the energy, vision, technological skills and physical stamina pertinent to effectively deliver such demands Some critics of younger members, such as Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Maxwell Frost, argue that they are “too aggressive” or should “wait for their turn” to pursue certain positions. The fact is they are members of the Millennial and Gen Z generations who are being directly affected by the current state of affairs. They are well aware of the fact that the nation is heading in a downward slope, they cannot afford to “wait” and that the “turn” that is needed is a sharp, decibel screeching U-turn. Elwood Watson’s column is distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.