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cczz slot Walmart Cyber Monday deals LIVE: TVs, PS5, iPhones, toys and moreBy BILL BARROW ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center simply said in posting about Carter’s death on the social media platform X. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A president from Plains A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. And then, the world Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” ‘An epic American life’ Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. A small-town start James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. ‘Jimmy Who?’ His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Accomplishments, and ‘malaise’ Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. ‘A wonderful life’ At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ___ Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.

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HOUSTON -- Will Levis threw for 278 yards and his 70-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo put Tennessee on top in the fourth quarter and the Titans held on for a 32-27 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. Okonkwo grabbed a short pass and rumbled for the touchdown to put the Titans (3-8) up 30-27 with 91⁄2 minutes remaining. Safety Eric Murray missed a tackle that would have stopped him near midfield. The Texans (7-5) had a chance to tie it with less than two minutes remaining, but Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 28-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left. He fell to the ground after the miss before getting up and slamming his helmet on the field. Titans coach Brian Callahan held both hands in the air and smiled after watching the miss that allowed his team to win on a day it had three turnovers. The Texans forced a three-and-out, but couldn’t move the ball after that and Harold Landry sacked C.J. Stroud in the end zone for a safety to make it 32-27 and allow Tennessee to snap a two-game skid. Stroud threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions as the AFC South-leading Texans lost for the third time in four games. Jimmie Ward had a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter and the Texans tied a franchise record with eight sacks. But the offense sputtered for most of the game as Joe Mixon was held to 22 yards on 14 carries. Tennessee extended the lead to 23-17 on a 51-yard field goal by Nick Folk with nine minutes left in the third. Stroud threw his second interception with about 90 seconds left in the third quarter but Ward’s touchdown came three plays later to put the Texans on top 24-23. The Titans fumbled a punt early in the fourth quarter and Houston recovered it. A 54-yard field goal by Fairbairn extended the lead to 27-23 with about 10 minutes to go. Dameon Pierce returned the opening kickoff 80 yards to get the Texans in the red zone. Houston cashed in on the next play when Stroud found rookie Cade Stover on a 19-yard pass for his first touchdown reception. The Titans trailed by four after a field goal by Folk when Nick Westbrook-Ikhine got in front of the defense and was wide open for a 38-yard TD catch that made it 10-7 late in the first quarter. Tennessee extended the lead to 17-7 when Tony Pollard ran 10 yards for a touchdown with about 11 minutes left in the second. Pollard finished with 119 yards and a touchdown. Nico Collins scored on a 5-yard reception with about six minutes left in the second. Levis fumbled on the Houston 32 with 31⁄2 minutes left in the first half and Houston recovered the ball. Stroud connected with Collins on a 56-yard pass on the next play, but the Texans couldn’t move the ball and settled for a 28-yard field goal to tie it at 17-17. Houston forced a punt after that, but rookie Jarvis Brownlee Jr. got his first career interception two plays later to give Tennessee the ball back. Folk’s 56-yard field goal, which tied his career long, put the Titans up 20-17 at halftime. The Titans were without cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, after he was placed on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury, and safety Amani Hooker, who was added to the injury report Sunday morning with an illness. Hooker leads the Titans with three interceptions. ... Houston S Jalen Pitre injured his shoulder in the second quarter and didn’t return. ... CB Ka’dar Hollman left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. Titans: Visit the Commanders next Sunday. Texans: Visit Jacksonville next Sunday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl'Other cases have taken more months and years': Former world No. 4 questions Sinner and Swiatek doping cases timelines

Over the past decade, nearly 47 Chinese nationals have become the target of terrorism in Pakistan which left at least 30 Chinese dead and 17 wounded, primarily due to the perception that the development projects they are involved in are not align with the objectives of militant and separatist groups. This year alone, two suicide attacks and an armed clash with private security guards claimed the lives of seven Chinese nationals and left two others injured. The most audacious attack occurred at the Karachi airport on October 7, 2024, when a suicide bombing killed two Chinese nationals and wounded 11 Pakistanis. This incident took place just a week before the high-level Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took place in Islamabad. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, claimed responsibility for this attack. This marked the second suicide attack this year and the seventh during the last six years which had targetted Chinese nationals in Pakistan. The first suicide attack this year occurred when a convoy of Chinese engineers, en-route to the Dasu Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Shangla district, was attacked in the Besham area. Unlike the Karachi airport attack, no group claimed responsibility for the Dasu incident. However, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa implicated the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the attack. Both the TTP and the Afghan Taliban, however, denied involvement. Since China was the first country to formally appoint an ambassador to Kabul, and given the Taliban's expressed interest in joining the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the likelihood of the TTP, which has found refuge in Afghanistan, directly targeting Chinese nationals appears low. However, the unofficial alliance between the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the TTP raises concerns. This collaboration could incentivise the TTP to pursue actions aligned with the BLA’s broader objective: undermining the CPEC initiative and straining the Pakistan-China relationship. For the BLA, the CPEC program is incompatible with their separatist ideology, as they view it as an exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources to benefit others. Who Benefits From Attacks On Chinese Nationals In Pakistan? In a move that may disappoint Baloch separatists, China and Pakistan recently announced plans to conduct their first joint anti-terrorism drill in five years, with Chinese troops expected to arrive in Pakistan by the end of the month. Additionally, China has reportedly sought the Afghan Taliban's cooperation in curbing the activities of Baloch separatists who use Afghanistan as a base for anti-China and anti-Pakistan operations. The history of targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan dates back to May 3, 2004, when a car bomb in Gwadar killed three Chinese engineers and injured 11 others. At the time, nearly 400 Chinese engineers and construction workers were involved in a $250 million project. This incident marked the first targeted attack on Chinese nationals in the country. According to data compiled by the Center for Research and Security Studies, by November 21, 2024, at least 19 terror attacks and street crimes targeting Chinese nationals had occurred in Pakistan Two days after the bombing, police apprehended 13 suspects believed to be involved in the attack. Former Home Secretary Abdul Rauf Khan confirmed that two of the suspects were Bengalis, one was from Gilgit, and the rest hailed from Turbat and Tando Adam. Timeline of attacks on Chinese nationals Data compiled by the Centre for Research and Security Studies by November 21, 2024, at least 19 terror attacks and street crimes targeting Chinese nationals had occurred in Pakistan. A detailed timeline of these incidents, along with information on the perpetrators involved, would provide a clearer understanding of the nature of these crimes and the groups responsible. On July 8, 2007, three Chinese workers were killed , and one was injured in an attack near Peshawar, Pakistan. Officials attributed the incident to terrorism linked to the Lal Masjid siege, though initial police reports suggested a possible robbery. Witnesses, however, stated that the masked assailants shouted religious slogans during the attack at a motorcycle factory in Khazana, 8 km from Peshawar. The victims were employed in the production of three-wheeled auto-rickshaws. Suicide Bombing Near Karachi Airport Kills Two Chinese Nationals On May 30, 2016, a remote-controlled explosion in Karachi's Gulshan-i-Hadeed area targeted a Chinese engineer but caused only minor injuries to the engineer's driver. A pamphlet from the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Party (SRA), opposing foreign control over Sindh's resources and projects like the CPEC, was found at the site. This was the first attack claimed by a Sindhi separatist group. The Chinese engineer, traveling without security, remained unharmed. Hundreds of Chinese workers were involved in projects like CPEC and the Thar coal power project in Pakistan. On December 15, 2016, a remote-controlled bomb exploded near a Chinese engineer’s convoy , escorted by the paramilitary Rangers, within the remits of Rohri’s Patni police station. Following the blast, police and Rangers detained around four dozen individuals during a combing operation. The detainees included activists from banned Sindhi nationalist groups Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (Bashir), as well as Bugti clansmen working at a Chinese-run crushing plant in Sukkur. On May 24, 2017, gunmen disguised as police officers abducted two Chinese nationals in Quetta's Jinnah Town, while a third escaped. The Islamic State (IS) later claimed responsibility for the incident and released a video on June 8 showing their alleged murder, which the government denied. Then-Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan revealed that the victims were Christian missionaries who had entered Pakistan on business visas but were reportedly preaching Christianity in Quetta under the guise of learning Urdu from a Korean national. The incident highlighted a significant security lapse. On December 30, 2017, in Islamabad, a robbery at a Chinese family's house in Sector G-10 in Islamabad escalated when the family resisted, leading to a Chinese woman being shot and injured . From Farm To Alarm: The Climate Crisis Facing Pakistan’s Agriculture On February 7, 2018, In Karachi's upscale Defence area, a Chinese national was critically injured in a gun attack by unknown assailants, with no group claiming responsibility. On August 11, 2018 in Quetta's Chagai district, a suicide bomber attacked a bus carrying Chinese engineers near Dalbandin, injuring six people, including three engineers. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility. This was the first suicide attack against Chinese nationals. On April 21, 2019, police recovered the body of a young Chinese man who had been missing for four days and was suspected to have been kidnapped. According to police, 29-year-old Li Jin Qiang had disappeared from the Jinnah Super Market area on April 15. His friend filed a missing person’s report, suspecting that Li had been kidnapped. On May 11, 2019, gunmen attacked the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar , Pakistan, killing five people, including a security guard, four hotel employees, and a Pakistan Navy soldier. The attackers, three armed men, were stopped while attempting to enter the hotel. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking Balochistan’s independence, claimed responsibility. The group stated the attack targeted Chinese and other foreign investors staying at the hotel. On July 14, 2021, a suicide attack targeted a bus near the Dasu hydropower plant in Pakistan's Upper Kohistan district, killing 12 people, including nine Chinese engineers and two Frontier Corps personnel, and injuring several others. The attackers used an explosive-laden car to strike the bus. Pakistan initially blamed the attack on TTP, but the group denied involvement. Later, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister accused Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies of orchestrating the bombing. Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations Starts In Pakistan On July 28, 2021, a gun attack in Karachi injured a Chinese engineer working at a factory. Two masked assailants on a motorbike fired at a car carrying two Chinese nationals in the SITE area. One passenger sustained an arm injury, while the other Chinese national and their local driver escaped unharmed. The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), claimed responsibility for the attack. On August 21, 2021, a suicide bombing targeted a convoy carrying Chinese nationals on the Gwadar Expressway near a fishermen's colony. The attack failed to directly hit the convoy but resulted in the deaths of two children and injuries to three others, including a Chinese national. The bomber, a young boy, detonated the explosives approximately 15-20 meters from the convoy after being intercepted by plainclothes Pakistan Army soldiers providing security. On April 26, 2022, a suicide bombing outside Karachi University's Confucius Institute killed four people , including three Chinese nationals, and injured four others. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility, marking its first attack using a female suicide bomber. Shari Baloch, an MPhil student with two master’s degrees, carried out the attack. She was a member of the Baloch Students Organisation and came from a prominent family, with her husband a dentist and her father a government director[13]. On September 28, 2022, a shooting at a clinic in Karachi's Saddar area targeted a Chinese dentist couple and a Chinese cashier . A man posing as a patient, wearing a surgical mask, entered the clinic and opened fire, killing the cashier and critically wounding the couple. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack[14]. ‘Hum Saya’ Brings Attention To Plight Of Minor Girls Facing Forced Conversions On March 26, 2024, a suicide bombing targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers in Besham , Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. An explosive-laden vehicle struck a bus heading to the Dasu Hydropower Project, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. Initially, the Afghan Taliban refuted Pakistan's claims of Afghan involvement, calling it an internal issue. Pakistan's military emphasised safeguarding 29,000 Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects. On April 30, 2024, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) confirmed that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) orchestrated the attack, identifying Javed alias Sami as the mastermind and Gul Nisa as his facilitator. On October 7, 2024, A suicide bombing near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport killed two Chinese nationals and injured at least 10 people. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted Chinese engineers working on a coal power plant project. The following table provides a summary of these events, highlighting the evolving trends and nature of violence against Chinese nationals over the years. It reflects a progression from the use of explosives to more targeted methods such as suicide attacks, carried out by various actors driven by their distinct ideologies and motivations. Attacks on Chinese infrastructure and investment projects in Pakistan In addition to incidents directly targeting Chinese nationals, several attacks have focused on Chinese infrastructures and investment projects in Pakistan. Facing Japanese Fury: A Baluch Batallion In The Malayan Campaign 1940-42 On November 23, 2018, an armed assault on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi’s Clifton area led to a prolonged shootout in which three attackers were killed. Two policemen and two Pakistani civilians sacrificed their lives defending the facility, successfully preventing any harm to Chinese nationals. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. On June 29, 2020, BLA targeted the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) due to China’s 40% ownership of the institution. The attack resulted in the deaths of three security guards and a police officer before the assailants were neutralised. Additionally, on April 16, 2023, a mob of Pakistani labourers at the Dasu Dam site attempted to lynch a Chinese engineer over alleged blasphemy. The incident reportedly stemmed from tensions after the engineer asked workers to expedite their tasks during the holy month of Ramadan, which they perceived as disrespectful to Islamic practices. While Pakistan has made multiple attempts to negotiate peace with Jihadi militants, separatist movements have been largely overlooked Noteworthy in these incidents are the regions, perpetrators, and the nature of the violence. These incidents were concentrated in four regions: Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Sindh, while Punjab, the country’s most populous province, remained unaffected. The perpetrators came from diverse backgrounds, including Sindhi separatists, Baloch separatists, Jihadi militants, and religious extremists. These actors are byproducts of state policies shaped by the demands of global powers, which inadvertently created these "monsters." Over time, this menace has evolved into a Hydra, extending its tentacles in various forms and directions. To counter this colossal threat, Pakistan must go beyond conventional counter-terrorism strategies and critically reassess the policies that have fostered a societal inclination toward militancy over tolerance. All stakeholders must unite on a single platform and take decisive action against all forms of extremism in the country, avoiding the pitfalls of selective politics that condemn some forms of militancy while tolerating others. A selective approach will not achieve lasting peace. New Wave: How Chinese Pop Culture Is Shaping Global Trends And Diplomacy While Pakistan has made multiple attempts to negotiate peace with Jihadi militants, separatist movements have been largely overlooked. Even peaceful voices from Balochistan, such as the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), have faced indifference, despite their persistent and peaceful protests to highlight their grievances and appeal to the government for resolution.

WEST LAYFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn had 18 points and Myles Colvin and Camden Heide each scored 13 to lead No. 6 Purdue to an 80-45 rout of Marshall on Saturday. Colvin and Heide were making their first starts of the season for Purdue (5-1). Braden Smith, who was averaging 14.6 points, was scoreless on an 0-for-4 shooting day. Smith had a team-high nine assists. Nate Martin led Marshall (3-2) with nine points, playing 24 minutes before fouling out with several minutes left in the game. The Boilermakers shot 55% in the first half to take a 39-24 halftime lead. However, Purdue made only one field goal in the final nine minutes of the first half. Purdue picked up the intensity in the second half, leading by as many as 41 points. The Boilermakers shot 50% for the game and held the Thundering Herd to 30%. No. 10 NORTH CAROLINA 87, HAWAII 69 HONOLULU (AP) — R.J. Davis scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half and No. 10 North Carolina pulled away from Hawaii. Elliot Cadeau had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, Seth Trimble scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime and Ian Jackson added 11 for the Tar Heels (3-1). Davis, an All-American guard, moved into fourth place on North Carolina’s all-time career scoring list. He overtook Sam Perkins with his free throw at the 11:59 mark of the first half. Gytis Nemeiksa led Hawaii with 16 points and had 10 rebounds. Akira Jacobs made three 3-pointers and scored 13 points off the bench. Tanner Christensen had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Marcus Green added 10 points for the Rainbow Warriors (4-1). No. 15 MARQUETTE 880, GEORGIA 69 NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — David Joplin scored a career-high 29 points and made six 3-pointers, Chase Ross had 14 points and five steals, and No. 15 Marquette beat Georgia. Joplin scored five straight Marquette points to begin a 12-3 run that Stevie Mitchell capped by banking in a shot with 1:33 remaining for a 78-66 lead. Mitchell made a steal at the other end to help seal it. Ben Gold scored a career-high 14 points and Kam Jones had 10 points and seven assists for Marquette (6-0). Jones was coming off the program’s third triple-double in more than 100 seasons when he had 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in 36 minutes against No. 6 Purdue on Tuesday. Gold’s previous high was 12 points at UConn on Feb. 7, 2023, while Joplin’s was 28 at DePaul on Jan. 28, 2023. Blue Cain scored 17 points and Tyrin Lawrence added 15 for Georgia (5-1). Dakota Leffew had 11 and Silas Demary Jr. 10. The Bulldogs turned it over 18 times, leading to 27 points by Marquette. No. 18 CINCINNATI 81, GEORGIA TECH 58 ATLANTA (AP) — Dillon Mitchell had 14 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, and No. 18 Cincinnati beat Georgia Tech. Jizzle James and Cole Hickman also scored 14 points apiece for the Bearcats (5-0), who passed the first true test of the young season against their first major conference opponent in the Yellow Jackets of the ACC. Naithan George made three 3-pointers while scoring 13 points for Georgia Tech (2-3). Duncan Powell added 10 points, while leading scorer Baye Ndogo finished with just five points. No. 25 ILLINOIS 87, Md-Eastern Shire 40 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Will Riley scored his 19 points in the second half and No. 25 Illinois beat Maryland Eastern Shore. Kylan Boswell added 13 points, Tomislav Ivisic had 11 and Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 10 for the Illini (4-1), who shot 25% (10 for 40) from 3-point range but committed just nine turnovers. Tre White grabbed 11 rebounds and Kasparas Jakucionis seven for Illinois, which outrebounded the Hawks 59-38. Jalen Ware scored 10 points and Christopher Flippin had 10 rebounds for Maryland Eastern Shore (2-6), which had its lowest point total of the season. The team’s previous low came in 102-63 loss to Vanderbilt on Nov. 4.

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