Death of Jimmy Carter

Context: The 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 years on 29 December 2024.

• Carter was the longest-lived U.S. president and the first to reach 100 years of age.

About Jimmy Carter

• Career:
  • Navy: Carter graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and joined the U.S. Navy’s submarine service. 
  • Political Career: He began his career in Georgia politics, where he supported the civil rights movement as State Senator and later Governor.
  • The USA President: Jimmy Carter served as the 39th President of the USA from 1977 to 1981.
    • He defeated the incumbent president Gerald Ford of the Republican Party in the 1976 election.
• Highlights of the Presidential Tenure:
  • Successful persuasion of The Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel
  • The Panama Canal Treaties: The Panama Canal was returned to Panama.
  • Signing the SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) nuclear arms reduction treaty with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.  
  • The 444 days Iran hostage crisis
  • 1979 Energy Crisis.
  • The end of détente after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (leading to a grain embargo, the declaration of the Carter Doctrine, and the 1980 Moscow Olympics boycott).
• Life after Presidency:
  • The Carter Center in 1982 was established with the goal of advancing human rights, international peacemaking and champions of democracy, public health
  • Areas of work: 
    • Monitoring Elections: The Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent.
    • Providing treatment for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) 
    • Deworming and disease eradication efforts, including the campaign to end dracunculiasis 
    • Eradicate the guinea worm parasite: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful.

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Shivaji Statue on Pangong Lake Bank

Context: The Indian Army has installed a statue of the Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji on the bank of Pangong Lake.

• The statue is located at an altitude of 14,300 feet in the eastern Ladakh sector and  is close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

About Pangong Lake

• Location: Pangong Lake, the world’s highest saltwater lake, is situated in eastern Ladakh on the India-China border at an altitude of over 14,000 feet.
• Division of Control: India controls approximately one-third of the lake, while China controls about two-thirds.
• Line of Actual Control (LAC): The LAC passes through Pangong Lake.
• Disputed “Fingers” Area: The northern bank of the lake has spurs that are referred to as “fingers.” India claims the LAC runs through Finger 8 but controls up to Finger 4, while China claims the LAC is at Finger 2.
• Salinity: Pangong Lake is a saline lake, despite being located at a high altitude. During winter, the lake’s surface freezes completely.
• Endorheic Lake: It is an endorheic lake, which means it retains its water and does not allow outflow to external water bodies such as oceans or rivers.
• Colour Variations: The lake exhibits a unique ability to change colors, showcasing shades of blue, green, and sometimes even red. These changes depend on the angle of sunlight and weather conditions.
• Karakoram Mountain Range: The Karakoram Mountain range terminates at the north bank of Pangong Lake.

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