
With a focus on human rights, US policy toward Latin America under Jimmy Carter briefly tempered a long tradition of interventionism in a key sphere of American influence, analysts say. Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100, defied the furor of US conservatives to negotiate the handover of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control, suspended aid to multiple authoritarian governments in the region, and even attempted to normalize relations with Cuba. Carter's resolve to chart a course toward democracy and diplomacy, however, was severely tested in Central America and Cuba, where he was forced to balance his human rights priorities with pressure from adversaries to combat the spread of communism amid the Cold War standoff with the Soviet Union. "Latin America was fundamental and his global policy was oriented toward human rights, democratic values and multilateral cooperation," political analyst Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank in Washington, told AFP. During his 1977-1981 administration, which was sandwiched between the Republican presidencies of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, the Democrat sought to take a step back from US alignment with right-wing dictatorships in Latin America. An important symbol of Carter's approach was the signing of two treaties in 1977 to officially turn over the Panama Canal in 1999. "Jimmy Carter understood that if he did not return the canal to Panama, the relationship between the United States and Panama could lead to a new crisis in a country where Washington could not afford the luxury of instability," said Luis Guillermo Solis, a political scientist and former president of Costa Rica. Carter called the decision, which was wildly unpopular back home, "the most difficult political challenge I ever had," as he accepted Panama's highest honor in 2016. He also hailed the move as "a notable achievement of moving toward democracy and freedom." During his term, Carter opted not to support Nicaraguan strongman Anastasio Somoza, who was subsequently overthrown by the leftist Sandinista Front in 1979. But in El Salvador, the American president had to "make a very uncomfortable pact with the government," said Shifter. To prevent communists from taking power, Carter resumed US military assistance for a junta which then became more radical, engaging in civilian massacres and plunging El Salvador into a long civil war. Carter took a critical approach to South American dictatorships in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay, suspending arms deliveries and imposing sanctions in some cases. But his efforts "did not achieve any progress in terms of democratization," said Argentine political scientist Rosendo Fraga. The American president also tried to normalize relations with Cuba 15 years after the missile crisis. He relaxed sanctions that had been in force since 1962, supported secret talks and enabled limited diplomatic representation in both countries. "With him, for the first time, the possibility of dialogue rather than confrontation as a framework for political relations opened up," Jesus Arboleya, a former Cuban diplomat, told AFP. But in 1980, a mass exodus of 125,000 Cubans to the United States, with Fidel Castro's blessing, created an unexpected crisis. It "hurt Carter politically with the swarm of unexpected immigrants," said Jennifer McCoy, a professor of political science at Georgia State University. Castro continued to support Soviet-backed African governments and even deployed troops against Washington's wishes, finally putting an end to the normalization process. However, more than 20 years later, Carter made a historic visit to Havana as ex-president, at the time becoming the highest-profile American politician to set foot on Cuban soil since 1959. During the 2002 visit, "he made a bold call for the US to lift its embargo, but he also called on Castro to embrace democratic opening," said McCoy, who was part of the US delegation for the trip, during which Castro encouraged Carter to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Cuban All-Star baseball game. "Castro was sitting in the front row and we were afraid he would rise to give a long rebuttal to Carter's speech. But he didn't. He just said, 'Let's go to the ball game.'" In the years following Carter's presidency, Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) would go on to resume a full-frontal confrontation with Cuba. Decades later, Barack Obama (2009-2017) opened a new phase of measured normalization, which Donald Trump (2017-2021) brought to an end. US President Joe Biden promised to review US policy toward Cuba, but hardened his stance after Havana cracked down on anti-government protests in 2021. "Carter showed that engagement and diplomacy are more fruitful than isolation," McCoy said. bur-lp-rd-jb/lbc/mlr/bfm/sst/bbkAntetokounmpo sat out the Bucks' 106-103 NBA Cup victory at Miami on Tuesday. The two-time MVP had been listed as probable with tendinopathy in his right patellar tendon. “He's good,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game. Antetokounmpo entered Saturday as the league's leading scorer at 32.4 points per game. He ranked fifth in rebounds (11.9) and 20th in assists (6.4). AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Geopolitical conflict and global instability, climate change, rising inequality, misinformation and disinformation, increasing social division and cyber insecurity have become some of the defining trends of 2024. In January, The World Economic Forum ranked misinformation and disinformation the most severe short-term risk factors the world is facing, with extreme weather and societal polarisation coming in second and third, respectively. Globally, 65 per cent of people agree that 2024 was a bad year for their country, according to polling by market research company IPSOS. Source: SBS News Despite these concerning trends, researchers say there are some positive trends that will likely continue through 2025 and beyond. Social researcher and futurist Mark McCrindle told SBS News people have a lot of uncertainty about the future and are also experiencing "change fatigue", having lived through so many large global changes recently, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost of living crisis and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI). However, McCrindle said it is still possible for people to adapt and increase their confidence about the years ahead. 'Anger and resentment': World's 'super election' year results capture voters' mood "There are challenges ahead, but we can respond proactively and face the future with a degree of innovation," McCrindle said. Emergence of AI transforming work and wellbeing McCrindle said while workforce participation is at an all-time high, many people are reassessing the role of work in their lives and are increasingly seeking ways to improve their quality of life. In July this year, workforce participation reached a record high of 67.1 per cent, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). "People already are feeling a bit strained, they’re looking for more work-life balance, not more work. They're looking to manage their well-being, not just spend longer and longer in a workplace." Source: Getty / Jacob Wackerhausen McCrindle said the emergence of more AI technologies may be starting to help with this pursuit. McCrindle Research found one in five workers in their 20s uses AI to assist with their tasks at work at least on a daily basis. "In a period of just two years, that has emerged to become mainstream for particularly young workers, knowledge economy workers and is an example of where it can assist with productivity," he said. McCrindle said other applications of technology, such as online grocery ordering, preprogramming home devices, or using apps to organise schedules, have all helped people add more time to their days. 'Worried for their future': The biggest issue on young Australians' minds "There's a productivity paradox that we need more productivity, and yet we don't want to work longer and harder; we want to try to balance our lives. There is a solution that we're already seeing through technology and innovation," McCrindle said. He said technology and the pandemic have driven dramatic changes to the structure of workplaces to benefit workers in recent years, such as increased flexibility and working from home arrangements. "We've got a lot more freedom in our week to work from home or anywhere on some of those days, and that's changed not just where we work but when we work. The hours have become more adaptable to suit individual family or individual needs and responsibilities." Global consensus grows on need for climate action Global polling from IPSOS published in September showed broad agreement that more needs to be done to mitigate the effects of climate change, with 80 per cent agreeing the world is heading for environmental disaster without rapid climate action. In Australia, 77 per cent of people agree the world is heading for environmental disaster without rapid climate action. Source: SBS News While the report found health and wealth inequality concerns tend to take priority, it also found worldwide investment in climate resilience and mitigation is rising as the effects of climate change are becoming clearer. IPSOS said attitudes towards climate and the environment have been one of the strongest shifts recorded by its decade-long reporting on global trends. "Between 2014 and 2024, the world has moved from questioning whether climate change is really happening to debating how best we meet our binding global targets for carbon emissions." Source: Getty / Byronsdad Germany, Great Britain and the United States have all experienced a significant shift since 2023 towards an agreement that the world is headed for environmental disaster unless we change habits quickly. Brad Hyde, a director at IPSOS, told SBS News it’s "not just Nordic countries" who are expressing interest in tackling climate change. "It's all around the world, including Australia," Hyde said. "The real question is how quickly can we all change our daily lives and our daily habits, and are we expecting businesses and organisations to do the same if climate change is an issue?" Increased scepticism of social media McCrindle said his recent surveys have shown dramatic changes to social media usage and a rising scepticism towards social media and the time lost to social media apps is another positive trend. According to McCrindle Research's 2025 trends report, 57 per cent of gen Z wish social media had never been created, and 86 per cent have taken steps to try and reduce social media usage. He said there is increasing awareness that social media is not what was necessarily promised and people are increasingly setting boundaries in their lives to prevent themselves from spending too much time on it. 30/11/2024 03:37 Play In late November, the Australian government passed a landmark legislation to ban children under 16 from social media platforms . The law was part of a series of proposed legislations and changes aimed at addressing challenges posed by big tech, such as misinformation, AI, and anti-competitive conduct. McCrindle said the research around social media attitudes and behaviours among young people shows a shift in public opinion. "Now we talk about big tech in the same way people talked about big tobacco of the past: that they’re predatory, that they’re disseminating misinformation, that they are toxic, that they’re addictive in the way they’re structured and harming society." Source: Getty / ljubaphoto "There's a real sense of optimism that we are getting control back in our lives, so that’s a positive," McCrindle said. Increasing rates of higher education Education rates are on the rise across generations, with formal and post-school education becoming increasingly common for school leavers. According to 2021 ABS data, a higher percentage of millennials are obtaining postgraduate degrees compared to gen X (11 per cent vs 8 per cent), and more than twice as many millennials hold a bachelor's degree compared to baby boomers (27 per cent vs 13 per cent). Source: SBS News McCrindle said these trends in education are likely to continue growing for gen Z and gen alpha (people born after 2010). "We know that education can lead to empowerment, employment and better health outcomes, and that's this generation — and that's true globally. There's an increase in the education and retention rate of students right around the world," he said. "We've got a generation that has size , education, technology and global connection and even longer years of life, which means that they can utilise those incredible opportunities to bring about solutions too and to change things in this world." Excitement and relief for school leavers as ATAR results released across Australia Evolving significance of mental health IPSOS polling shows more people are becoming aware of health decisions and want more power over their health choices. More people are also placing increased importance on mental wellbeing. Hyde said people between 16 and 44 years old are particularly expressing a desire to improve their mental wellbeing. Source: Getty / FG Trade Latin According to IPSOS, 75 per cent of Australians feel as though they need to do more to care for their mental wellbeing, with 72 per cent of men and 77 per cent of women agreeing. In addition to this, 69 per cent of Australians believe their mental health will be better in 2025 than in 2024. "For the first time globally, we've seen the importance that people place on their mental health has risen to the same level as the importance people place on their physical health," Hyde said. "The majority of us agree that we need to do more for our own mental wellbeing."
quarterback is out for Week 12's matchup with the . Defensive end will not play either. Purdy did not practice on Friday, which made his status uncertain. But head coach Kyle Shanahan officially announced he was out when meeting with reporters after practice. will start at quarterback versus Green Bay. Additionally, left tackle is listed as questionable with an ankle injury and will be a game-time decision, according to Shanahan. Kyle Shanahan shares final injury updates ahead of . — San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) Earlier on Friday, on its injury report. He was previously listed as questionable, but has now been officially downgraded. Bosa was also listed as out on the injury report due to hip and oblique issues. He suffered the injury in practice on Nov. 6 and played through the injury in Week 10's matchup with . The pass rusher left last week's matchup with the Seahawks in the third quarter and did not return. Following the game, Bosa told reporters that he while compensating for the hip injury. Williams suffered his injury in Week 10, as well. He played against Seattle after taking a painkilling injection for his ankle, but that may have made the situation worse. The veteran offensive lineman did not participate in practice all week. Brock Purdy is NOT practicing as 49ers final session underway in rain before flight to Green Bay — Cam Inman (@CamInman) Right shoulder soreness on Wednesday and Thursday, and he did not participate in the team's final practice session before traveling to Green Bay. General manager John Lynch that Purdy had an MRI and described his status for Sunday as "tenuous." "Hopefully, he makes progress, and we can have a shot at this weekend, but we’ll see," Lynch said. "I think it’s tenuous.” Brock Purdy shuts himself down mid practice. — Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) At Thursday's practice, Purdy's participation consisted of soft throws while San Francisco's other three quarterbacks went through drills with QB coach Brian Griese. Purdy stopped after approximately five minutes, had his shoulder worked on by trainers and went back to the locker room, according to reporters on the scene. Purdy appeared to suffer the injury during to the . He finished the game, yet did not make any throws over 10 yards following the hit that potentially injured him. There was no indication afterward that Purdy was hurt. Allen is in his second season with the 49ers after seeing no action behind Purdy and during the 2023-24 campaign. He played 2019 with the , followed by three seasons with the .PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts may sit out a potential NFC East clincher against Dallas because of the lingering effects of a concussion . The Eagles could also just rest Hurts to play it safe -- even if he’s medically cleared ahead of Sunday’s game -- and protect their franchise QB from additional injury over the final two games. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week
WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday due to a technical issu e just as the Christmas travel season kicks into overdrive and winter weather is threatening more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after a national ground stop order was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. There were 1,447 delays for flights entering or leaving the U.S. early in the day, with 28 cancellations. Snow was falling early in New York and Dallas-Fort Worth International, which is American Airlines' main hub, was getting hit with rain. Dallas-Fort Worth had the most delays, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, New York, Chicago and Miami Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline yourself tends to be very expensive. Just before 7 a.m. Eastern time, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all American Airlines flights grounded in the U.S. at the airline’s request. American had reported a technical issue affecting its entire system with millions traveling for the holiday. American said in an email that the problem Tuesday morning was caused by a vendor technology issue that “impacted systems needed to release flights.” The groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Friday and Sunday, and on Dec. 26, Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. “Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company. —— AP Reporters David Koenig, Mae Anderson and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.Kansas once required voters to prove citizenship. That didn't work out so wellJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s attorney general has ordered police to open an investigation into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife on suspicion of harassing political opponents and a witness in the Israeli leader’s corruption trial. The Israeli Justice Ministry made the announcement in a terse message late Thursday, saying the investigation would focus on the findings of a recent report by the “Uvda” investigative program into Sara Netanyahu. The program uncovered a trove of WhatsApp messages in which Mrs. Netanyahu appears to instruct a former aide to organize protests against political opponents and to intimidate Hadas Klein, a key witness in the trial. The announcement did not mention Mrs. Netanyahu by name, and the Justice Ministry declined further comment. But in a video released earlier Thursday, Netanyahu listed what he said were the many kind and charitable acts by his wife and blasted the Uvda report as “lies.” “My opponents on the left and in the media found a new-old target. They mercilessly attack my wife, Sara,” he said. He called the program ”false propaganda, nasty propaganda that brings up lies from the darkness.” It was the latest in a long line of legal troubles for the Netanyahus — highlighted by the prime minister's ongoing corruption trial . The pair have also had a rocky relationship with the Israeli media. Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of cases alleging he exchanged favors with powerful media moguls and wealthy associates. Netanyahu denies the charges and says he is the victim of a “witch hunt” by overzealous prosecutors, police and the media. The report obtained correspondence between Sara Netanyahu and Hanni Bleiweiss, a former aide to the prime minister who died of cancer last year. The messages indicated that Sara Netanyahu encouraged police to crack down violently on anti-government protesters and ordered Bleiweiss to organize protests against her husband's critics. She also told Bleiweiss to get activists in Netanyahu's Likud party to publish attacks on Klein. Klein is an aide to billionaire Hollywood mogul Arnon Milchan and has testified in the corruption case about her role in delivering tens of thousands of dollars worth of champagne, cigars and gifts to Netanyahu for her boss. According to the report, Sara Netanyahu mistreated Bleiweiss, prompting her to share the messages with a reporter shortly before her death. Sara Netanyahu has been accused of abusive behavior toward her personal staff before. This, together with accusations of excessive spending and using public money for her own extravagant personal tastes, has earned her an image as being out of touch with everyday Israelis. In 2019, she was fined for misusing state funds. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees police and has repeatedly said Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara should be fired over a series of grievances against her, said the latest announcement was another reason for her to be dismissed. “Someone who politically persecutes government ministers and their families cannot continue to serve as the attorney general,” he said. And Justice Minister Yariv Levin, another Netanyahu ally and critic of Baharav Miara, accused her of focusing on “television gossip.” “Selective enforcement is a crime!” he said in a statement. AP correspondents Eleanor H. Reich in New York and Isaac Scharf in Jerusalem contributed reporting.Hurley shot 6 for 14 (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line for the Catamounts (5-4). Jace Roquemore scored 13 points and added five rebounds. Ileri Ayo-Faleye shot 3 of 5 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line to finish with 10 points. Rashad King led the way for the Huskies (5-3) with 27 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Northeastern also got nine points and 10 rebounds from Youri Fritz. Hurley put up 13 points in the first half for Vermont, who led 35-22 at halftime. Vermont used an 8-0 run in the second half to build a 16-point lead at 47-31 with 12:26 left. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
LEBANON — Dartmouth Health and partners across the state are working to address New Hampshire’s shortage of behavioral health care workers — which is especially acute in rural areas — by increasing training opportunities for students. Dartmouth Health is using $1.29 million of congressionally directed spending to help expand training programs for students seeking master’s degrees in behavioral health, like social work and clinical psychiatry. “We are acutely aware of the fact that people experience challenges when they are trying to access mental health care and this is a way that we feel like we can impact that by building the workforce of well-trained providers for the future,” Dr. Julie Frew, vice chair of psychiatry education at Dartmouth Health, said. There are barriers for clinical training for students getting master’s degrees in behavioral health, Frew said. Unlike other types of medical education, behavioral health degree programs do not always connect students with the clinical placements required to earn their degrees. This training can also come with expenses and many providers do not have the capacity to train students. “The onus is kind of on the student to go out and find their clinical rotation,” Frew said. Online programs, which are increasingly popular, are especially unlikely to have connections in the area if they are loccated outside the region. “These students end up having to essentially cold call or cold email people begging them to take them on.” Connecting behavioral health students with providers for clinical rotations, and giving practicing providers the resources they need to successfully host students are the main goals Dartmouth Health wants to begin to address with the $1.29 million in federal funds, Frew said. This project was one of 101 projects totaling $103 million earmarked by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., for fiscal year 2024. Frew, her colleagues in the Dartmouth Health Department of Psychiatry, and an advisory board of statewide stakeholders want to build a website that includes a database of available clinical placements for students and other resources. They plan to include education materials for providers and offer training, workshops and funding opportunities to help defray the costs of in-office education. The team hopes that by making it easier for people studying behavioral health, especially social work and clinical psychiatry, to find training placements across New Hampshire they will stay and work in the state after their education. There were 378 behavioral health workforce vacancies across New Hampshire’s 10 community behavioral health networks (made up of about 40 facilities statewide) in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, according to the N.H. Community Behavioral Health Association. Behavioral health care providers, who care for people with mental health and substance use disorders and also provide support with other life stressors and crises, are limited in rural areas statewide, with the lowest number in Sullivan County, according to a 2023 report by the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services. Kate Turcotte, who is the director of the Master of Social Work program at Colby-Sawyer College and a practicing social worker in New London, said she hopes the database will help to address gaps in underserved areas of social work in New Hampshire. Colby-Sawyer is one of the participants in the project’s advisory board. When there are not enough behavioral health providers, patients are left with long wait times or go without care entirely, Turcotte said. The shortage also creates a situation in which social workers can choose where geographically and in which specialization they would like to focus because there is a shortage of available providers; this creates greater gaps in certain areas such as social work focusing on children and on addiction, Turcotte said. Turcotte attributes the workforce shortage to a lack of training opportunities. As a practicing social worker in the region, especially in Sullivan County where she has worked in Claremont and Newport, “the needs are so great and we have a dearth of social workers here,” Turcotte said. Colby-Sawyer began its Masters of Social Work program in 2023. It is one of only three social work programs in the state, with the other two at University of New Hampshire campuses. The program is primarily online with students able to watch recorded lectures and do assignments in their own time, but most of the students are from the area. “We definitely draw from the region and that’s what we want to do,” Turcotte said. At Colby-Sawyer, master’s of social work students are required to complete 900 hours of clinical training in two years. While program staff help students find clinical placements, they do not mandate where students work. Many social workers want to take on students for training because “social workers are givers and there is this real culture of giving back, but it’s tough,” Turcotte said. For providers to take on students, they need to meet several requirements in education, years of practical experience and sometimes specific training in supervising, Turcotte said. This takes time and money and often providers do not earn more money for supervising students, despite the additional work. The barriers, coupled with the limited number of providers, create a “gap” in the opportunities for behavioral health training in New Hampshire. The resources available through this project will hopefully support providers and make it easier for them to take on students, Turcotte said.