mega r With technical prowess and considerable style, Marta danced around two sliding defenders, outwitted a goalkeeper and calmly scored as another player rushed forward in desperation to stop her. It was more Marta Magic. That goal last weekend helped propel the Orlando Pride into Saturday's National Women's Soccer League championship game against the Washington Spirit. Barbra Banda also scored in the Pride's 3-2 semifinal victory over the Kansas City Current . While Banda has had an incredible first season with the Pride, captain Marta has been the talisman that has helped lead the team in its remarkable turnaround this year. The last time the Pride were in the NWSL playoffs was in 2017 — Marta's first year with the club. But this season they nearly went undefeated, going 23 games without a loss to start the season before losing 2-0 to the Portland Thorns with just two regular-season games left. “I think because of the way that we did it, during this season, from beginning to now, it’s something very special that I’ve never had before with any other club that I’ve played for," Marta said. "Plus year by year, we see in America, strong competition. This is the best league in the world. And you never know what’s going to happen, and it’s hard to keep winning the games, being in the first place almost like the whole season. That’s why it’s really different and so special.” Marta’s goal was the latest gasp-inducing moment in a stellar career filled with them. Known by just her first name, the 38-year-old is a six-time FIFA world player of the year. "Let's see if tomorrow I can do something similar — or even better," Marta said on Friday. Her teammate Kylie Strom chimed in: “That was the greatest goal I've ever witnessed, hands down." Appropriate. Earlier this year, FIFA announced that the best goal in women's soccer each year would earn the Marta Award. In a lighthearted moment the day before the title match, Marta was asked if she thought it was possible she might give the award to herself. “You guys need to decide, because who votes for the best goal in the year? It’s you. It’s the people in the public. So it should be really interesting, like Marta’s Award goes to Marta!” she said with a laugh. Marta has played in six World Cups for Brazil and played this summer in her sixth Olympics, winning a silver medal after falling in the final to the United States . She previously said this would be her final year with the national team. But since then Brazil was named the host of the 2027 Women's World Cup. "I had a conversation with my coach, the national team coach, and I was really clear about playing in 2027. I told him it’s not my goal anymore,” she said. “But I’m always available to help the national team. And if they think I still can do something during this preparation for the World Cup, yeah, I would be happy to help them." Marta's club career started in Brazil when she was just 16. She has also played in Sweden and in the U.S. professional women's leagues that came before the NWSL. With nine regular-season goals, Marta has had one of her best seasons since she joined the Pride. “I can never pick a side, I never pick favorites — but I love to see this for Marta," U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. “Marta is someone we all like, admire and are grateful for. And that goal was just like prime Marta at her best. And so grateful for and thankful for her that she got the opportunity with another game with her team.” The Pride went 18-2-6 this season, clinching the NWSL Shield for the first trophy in club history. Orlando also set a record with 60 regular-season points to finish atop the standings. “We are sitting top of the table, but I think there still are a lot of doubters. I think there’s people out there who say, maybe this was a one-off season,” Strom said. “But we’re here to prove them all wrong. So I think we do carry a bit of that underdog mentality still with us.” The second-seeded Spirit advanced to the title match at Kansas City's CPKC Stadium last weekend on a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw against defending champions Gotham FC. The Spirit's roster includes Trinity Rodman, a standout forward who formed the so-called “Triple Espresso” trio with Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith for the United States at the Olympics. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen returns to a tournament after a dispute over jeans is resolved

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World Leaders Pay Tribute To Former US President Jimmy Carter

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VOA Correspondent Kane Farabaugh conducted numerous interviews with Jimmy Carter on issues ranging from his time in the White House to his post-presidential career as a promoter of global health and democracy. Highlights of those interviews are contained in this report. Former President Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer and Georgia state governor before becoming president, has died at the age of 100. When Carter took the oath of office as president of the United States on January 20, 1977, he promised a "government as good as its people." He presided over four turbulent years. Rising inflation and growing unemployment marred the domestic priorities of his administration. He scored victories in foreign policy with a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel and the Panama Canal treaty. However, a hostage crisis in Iran dominated his final years in the White House and contributed to his defeat in the 1980 general election. But Carter liked to say the end of his presidency in 1981 was the beginning of a new life, traveling the world "fighting disease, building hope, and waging peace." "It has turned out to open up for me and my wife, Rosalynn, a new arena of excitement and unpredictability and adventure and challenge and gratification," he told VOA. As the head of the Carter Center, the Carters traveled to more than 80 countries monitoring troubled elections, mediating disputes, and fighting diseases. This active post-White House life eventually led to the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. "I look upon the Carter Center work as an extension of what I tried to do as president. You know, we brought peace between Israel and Egypt. We opened up a humongous relationship with Latin America with the Panama Canal treaty," he said. "So what I have done since then has been kind of an extension. But I do not think there is any doubt that when I won the Nobel Peace Prize, for instance, it was because of the work of the Carter Center. So, I would be perfectly satisfied to have a legacy based on peace and human rights. I mean, who would not?" Carter's journey to the White House began in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he was born October 1, 1924. After serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy, where he helped develop the post-World War II nuclear submarine fleet, Carter returned to his hometown in 1953 to run the family peanut-farming business. He entered politics in the 1960s, serving two terms as a Georgia legislator before becoming the state's 76th governor from 1971 to 1975. In the 1976 presidential election, Carter, a Democrat, ran against Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who assumed the presidency after Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal. Carter narrowly defeated Ford to become president. The high point of Carter's presidency came in 1978. Carter brought Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to the Camp David presidential retreat in rural Maryland to negotiate a peace treaty. "When I became president, there had been four wars between Arabs and Israelis in the previous 25 years, with the Egyptians in the leadership supported by the Soviet Union," he said. "They were the only country that could really challenge Israel militarily. And we had success in getting a treaty between Israel and Egypt ... not a word of which has ever been violated." Carter also negotiated a treaty turning control of the Panama Canal over to the Panamanian government and normalized diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. But in 1979 the primary focus for Carter's administration turned to Iran, where a revolution led by religious clerics toppled the government of the U.S. backed shah, who eventually fled to the United States, where he received treatment for cancer. On November 4, 1979, militants angry with the U.S. for harboring the deposed shah, stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 66 Americans hostage, 13 were released weeks later. Five months into the crisis, in April 1980, Carter authorized a complex military operation to free the remaining hostages. Dubbed Operation Eagle Claw, the plan called for several helicopters and military aircraft to stage at a site in the Iranian desert. Carter, who approved the plan, explained to VOA that the helicopters carrying members of the U.S. military's elite Delta Force, were to fly from there to the U.S. embassy in Tehran, free the hostages and return to the waiting aircraft that would fly them out of Iran. "The minimum number of helicopters required would be six very large helicopters. So I decided to send eight. One of the helicopters, in an inexplicable way, turned around and went back to the aircraft carrier. Another one went down in a sandstorm in the Iranian desert. The third one developed a hydraulic leak and ran into one of the C-130 airplanes," he said. The aborted mission ended in failure. Eight U.S. military members and one Iranian civilian died as a result of the crash. Walter Mondale, Carter’s vice president, told VOA that day was the lowest point of their administration. "When that rescue mission failed and lives were lost. I mean, that was just ... we were just morose that day and for some time after that," Mondale said. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance resigned in protest of the operation. The failure of the mission damaged Carter's credibility with the American public. The incident occurred seven months before the 1980 presidential election and contributed to Carter's defeat to challenger Ronald Reagan. "The exact anniversary of the hostages being taken was Election Day," Carter said. "Of course, the news media were completely obsessed with the anniversary of the hostages being taken and the fact that I had not been able to get them out. That was the number one issue that caused me to fail." The hostages were freed the day Reagan became president. In 1981, Carter returned to Plains, unsure about the direction of his post-presidential life. His plans for a library and museum were initially modest. "I envisioned it to be a tiny thing, where I would have an office and some nice buildings in Atlanta. And that anyone in the world that had an ongoing conflict or potential conflict could come to me and I would help them mediate the dispute and stop a war," he said. The Carter Center, under his direction, monitored more then 80 troubled elections and mediated disputes ranging from a nuclear standoff with North Korea in 1994, to a peace agreement between Uganda and Sudan in 1999. The center is also a leader in promoting health and fighting disease in the poorest parts of the planet. In one of many interviews with Voice of America, Carter reflected on his life in and out of the White House. He said the greatest part of his legacy wasn't his accomplishments as president or the Nobel Peace Prize, but the eradication of Guinea worm disease. "There's only been one disease in the history of humankind, ever eradicated, and that was smallpox,” he said, “So Guinea worm is going to soon be the second disease in history, to be wiped off the face of the earth." Thanks to Carter’s efforts, there were only 13 cases of Guinea worm recorded in 2022. Carter led an active life until the age of 99, surviving brain cancer in 2015. Declining health and the 2020 global coronavirus pandemic kept him confined to his hometown of Plains in his final years. Jimmy Carter last appeared in public during funeral services for his wife, Rosalynn, in November 2023. In one of his last public media appearances, Carter shared with VOA his hopes for the Carter Center’s future. “I would like to see the United States in the future strive to be the number one champion in the world of peace and human rights and environmental quality, and I would say treating everyone equal,” he said. “If we could do that, we would have a real superpower in the country I love very much.” Jimmy Carter lived the longest of any occupant of the White House, and his 76-year marriage to wife Rosalynn is the longest of any president and first lady. Though his final resting place will be on the grounds of his home in Plains, Georgia, the work and the words of Carter live on in the pages of the dozens of books he authored throughout his life. It includes his memoirs, a fiction novel, controversial examinations of the Middle East, and a collection of his favorite poems.Jeanine Robel-Anthony Edwards (via: timesofindia.indiatimes.com) During an exciting Christmas matchup, Anthony Edwards powered the Minnesota Timberwolves to a vital win in their second encounter with formidable opponents. With his girlfriend Jeanine Robel and their children cheering him on, heartwarming moments unfolded as Edwards celebrated the victory and shared memorable posts on social media. From courtside family snapshots to engaging updates, Robel's presence added a personal touch to the team's success, captivating fans and followers. Family support and post-game celebrations Anthony Edwards says "ain't nobody gon' fight man relax" after Gobert and Gafford get heated 😂 In a highly-anticipated Christmas matchup, Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves secured a crucial victory in their second encounter of the season against formidable opponents. With the support of his girlfriend Jeanine Robel and their children, Edwards celebrated the win, capturing heartwarming moments in a series of social media posts, including a victorious selfie with their daughter post-game. "Wolves winnnnn 🏆," she captioned the post. In a different scene, she filmed a charming video of her son and daughter watching the game from her lap. "Shannon with the 2 kids 💕," she captioned the post. She delightedly captured a moment of her daughter, Aislynn, taking in the game in style from the exclusive suite. "the suit life of 🐞," she wrote in the caption. Despite Kyrie Irving's impressive 39-point performance, the Timberwolves managed to keep the Mavericks below 100 points, securing a 105-99 victory. Edwards showcased his talent by scoring 26 points on 11-of-24 shooting, while also contributing eight rebounds and five assists. In 2020, Anthony Edwards and his girlfriend publicly acknowledged their relationship. Since then, she, a social media influencer, has been frequently spotted courtside supporting her beau. Following the birth of their daughter, she continues to bring their little one to cheer on her father during games. Notably, she accompanied Edwards to the Olympics in Paris this year, along with her daughter and son, Krue . Also Read: Gilbert Arenas is all smiles as girlfriend, Melli Monaco, presents him with $2,999 Christmas gift Jeanine Robel's hilarious video In a recent social media post, Jeanine Robel, girlfriend of NBA star Anthony Edwards, revealed her son Krue's disinterest in being photographed. Despite her best efforts to capture family moments, a video on her Instagram story hilariously captures Krue's unwavering focus on the basketball game. Even with her seven-month-old daughter in tow, Krue's attention remained steadfast on the NBA action, making for a comical and relatable family moment. "If you know krue taking pics ain't his thing fr 😂 the pics we do get are always forced!" Robel wrote in the caption. (via: Sportskeeda) Robel shares Krue with her former partner, renowned American rapper Chief Keef. The 10-year-old is not only Robel's son but also a talented basketball player at his school.Mary Ann Peters’s Obscured Memorials to Buried Histories

Marta's magic helped get the Pride to Saturday's NWSL title game against the Washington SpiritTSMC Arizona Plant Lands Historic $6.6B Federal Grant To Accelerate US Chip Production

Ravens now in the AFC North driver's seat after 3 convincing wins in 11-day stretchWith technical prowess and considerable style, Marta danced around two sliding defenders, outwitted a goalkeeper and calmly scored as another player rushed forward in desperation to stop her. It was more Marta Magic.

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BNP Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has accused a state intelligence agency of attempting to create a "king's party" ahead of the next general election. He claimed that intelligence personnel are actively mobilising members for this political party, terming the move "unacceptable." "If the state intelligence decides who will be elected, then what was the point of such a sacrifice?" Rizvi expressed his concerns at a discussion meeting organised by a Rajshahi University alumni association at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) yesterday. "The people of this country will not accept this. Those who want to form a political party should do so independently, without any directives, threats, or state interference." Rizvi said former prime minister Sheikh Hasina used intelligence agencies to intimidate opposition figures from the grassroots to the national level. "She tried to eliminate the BNP from politics to pave the way for forming another political party. For 16-17 years, Sheikh Hasina used intelligence agencies to weaken and break the BNP." The senior BNP leader also raised concerns about the recently passed Cyber Security Ordinance 2024, viewing it as an extension of the controversial Digital Security Act. He criticised the law for granting excessive powers to law enforcement agencies, posing a significant threat to freedom of speech. Senior BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan expressed his displeasure with the interim government's criticism of political parties. He questioned the legitimacy of such criticism from individuals who are not actively involved in politics. Rizvi also raised concerns about a fire that broke out at the Secretariat while the government was seeking documents related to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her associates. He suggested that the fire was suspicious and may have been an attempt to destroy evidence. In a separate statement, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep concern over the Secretariat fire and demanded a thorough investigation to bring the culprits to justice. He emphasised the importance of compensating the families of the deceased and injured in the incident. BNP Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has accused a state intelligence agency of attempting to create a "king's party" ahead of the next general election. He claimed that intelligence personnel are actively mobilising members for this political party, terming the move "unacceptable." "If the state intelligence decides who will be elected, then what was the point of such a sacrifice?" Rizvi expressed his concerns at a discussion meeting organised by a Rajshahi University alumni association at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) yesterday. "The people of this country will not accept this. Those who want to form a political party should do so independently, without any directives, threats, or state interference." Rizvi said former prime minister Sheikh Hasina used intelligence agencies to intimidate opposition figures from the grassroots to the national level. "She tried to eliminate the BNP from politics to pave the way for forming another political party. For 16-17 years, Sheikh Hasina used intelligence agencies to weaken and break the BNP." The senior BNP leader also raised concerns about the recently passed Cyber Security Ordinance 2024, viewing it as an extension of the controversial Digital Security Act. He criticised the law for granting excessive powers to law enforcement agencies, posing a significant threat to freedom of speech. Senior BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan expressed his displeasure with the interim government's criticism of political parties. He questioned the legitimacy of such criticism from individuals who are not actively involved in politics. Rizvi also raised concerns about a fire that broke out at the Secretariat while the government was seeking documents related to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her associates. He suggested that the fire was suspicious and may have been an attempt to destroy evidence. In a separate statement, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep concern over the Secretariat fire and demanded a thorough investigation to bring the culprits to justice. He emphasised the importance of compensating the families of the deceased and injured in the incident.

Truth in tales: How illustrator Hanna Cha's dragons symbolize her Korean American experience Published: 03 Dec. 2024, 08:44 LEE JIAN [email protected] Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI [Interview] Writer and illustrator Hanna Cha poses for photos after an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at Signiel Busan on Friday. [LEE JIAN] BUSAN — A little boy encounters two dragons: a fiery red creature, indestructible and fearsome, and another with blue scales and flowing whiskers, ethereal and omniscient. But which is real? And what is the true dragon? Related Article Kids, and adults, dive into stories at Busan International Children's Book Fair Not just for kids: Author Lee Suzy touts benefits of picture books for all readers The children's book “The Truth About Dragons” (2023) celebrates the experience of Asian Americans, traversing two distinctly different cultural landscapes — as depicted through the East and the West’s perceptions of dragons. Illustrations for ′′The Truth About Dragons′′ by Hanna Cha [HANNA CHA] Illustrator Hanna Cha used pen nibs for the Western dragon in the first half of the book and minhwa , or the Korean folk-art style with ink and calligraphy brushes, for the latter half’s Eastern dragon. The work won her, and writer Julie Leung, this year’s Caldecott Medal, considered one of the most prestigious honors for American children’s book artists. Illustrations for ′′The Truth About Dragons′′ (2023) by Hanna Cha, written by Julie Leung [HANNA CHA] “When I first read Julie’s manuscript, I cried,” said Cha, 30, who felt like the book was speaking directly to her experience as a Korean American. “I then begged to be on the project because I wanted kids to feel what I had experienced,” she told the Korea JoongAng Daily in an interview at Busan Signiel on Friday. She was attending the Busan International Children's Book Fair as a keynote speaker. “After years of just me loving Korea, yesterday [Thursday] felt like Korea was finally loving me back,” she said. Hanna Cha gives a keynote speech at the Busan International Children's Book Fair at Bexco on Thursday. [KOREA PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION] Growing up, Cha moved around a lot. Her parents were in South Carolina for her father’s PhD studies when she and her brother were born. She then grew up jumping around a few states in the South until second grade, when her family returned to Korea. But only after five years, in her first year of middle school, her parents decided that it would be better for Cha and her brother to study in the United States. Though the decision was made with good intentions, Cha said she didn’t really want to go back. “I felt like I was finally fitting in and making friends. I was thinking in Korean and interacting in a Korean sense.” Illustrations in ′′Tiny Feet Between the Mountains” (2019) by Hanna Cha, written by Cha [HANNA CHA] American high school life was much more different from what she had remembered about her young adolescent experience. She was always a little shy growing up, but high school was when a "more severe form of introversion” kicked in, to the point that she had trouble speaking to people outside her close circle of family and friends. “I was scared, I think, of the idea that people were judging me, and I was just not sure who I was,” she said. “It was a unique situation, and I felt like no one, not even my parents, could quite understand what I was going through.” Illustration of ′′The House Before Falling Into the Sea′′ by Hanna Cha, in the book written by Ann Suk Wang, illustrated [HANNA CHA] But everything changed when she discovered joy in art. “It quite literally became my voice,” she said. Cha found herself creating art about herself and how she wanted to be perceived in the world. Lost in that joy, she felt free from the constant social pressures to define herself. “But you don’t have to, really,” she said. “I later realized that it doesn’t matter how American and Korean you are. I used art to carve my own space. And once I had that, for the first time in my life, I actually wanted to speak up and talk to other people.” She enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design as an illustration student, not quite sure about what her exact career would be, but confident that she wanted to tell stories through art. Preliminary sketches of ′′The Truth About Dragons′′ (2023) illustrations [HANNA CHA] She was steered to children’s books when she submitted a sample of her senior year project, an illustration book incorporating Korean folk culture, “Tiny Feet Between the Mountain,” for a Simon and Schuster student event. Her work caught the eye of an editor, and it became her debut book in 2019. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing, with Cha saying that she only recently became a full-time illustrator and writer. “For a while, I did a lot of odd jobs to make this work. I had side work at a crepe place, which became more of a full-time thing during Covid, and then I blinked and was like, ‘Why am I a supervisor?” When she received the Caldecott in January, it was “a completely unexpected honor.” “Us illustrators always say that [this profession] is a marathon — that it is a long run.” Illustrations in ′′Tiny Feet Between the Mountains” (2019) by Hanna Cha, written by Cha [HANNA CHA] The accolade came much earlier than she thought, but Cha feels she is far from her career peak, saying she has many more stories she wants to tell in the future. “I don’t want to be pigeonholed to one genre or as being able to only tell Korean American stories [...] and many of my books have also been about my struggles with personal identity,” she said. “But now I feel like I can tell stories that are a little more detached from those raw emotions and write more about what I want and hope for in life.” Just as the little boy between the two dragons realizes at the end that there doesn't have to be only one true story about dragons in the world, there are often more answers than what it seemingly presents. “It’s liberating to know that sometimes, you don’t have to choose," said Cha with a warm smile. Illustrations for ′′The Truth About Dragons′′ (2023) by Hanna Cha, written by Julie Leung [HANNA CHA] BY LEE JIAN [ [email protected] ]

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