Latest news with #AbigailAdams
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
For influencers with Down syndrome, success comes with complications
Online, Abigail Adams uses the handle 'abigailtheadvocate.' There are videos of her training for races in the rain, giving speeches and doling out inspiring aphorisms directly to the camera. In one, she stands on a sidewalk wearing running gear. 'If you have skill and strength,' she says, punctuated by a spinning video cut effect, 'you could be good at what you do.' The frame spins again. 'But if you want to be the best you possible,' — one more spin cut — 'you have to have determination.' Her most popular videos capture casual, unscripted moments. A video of her dancing with friends, high-kicking to the novelty disco hit 'Kung Fu Fighting,' earned 1.4 million likes on Instagram. In another clip, she unwraps a Valentine's Day gift from her boyfriend, Chad. She touches his face, she gazes into his eyes, she kisses him on the head. She giggles, then brandishes the gift — a pink wall hanging that reads 'Babe.' 'Babe!' she squeals, then giggles again. The video has 8.7 million views. Bubbly and outgoing, the 25-year-old was built for social media. 'I was an all-star since I was a kid,' she said in a call from her home in Orlando. If the glimpses of her life look a lot like the other stuff that populates your feeds these days, well, that's part of the point. Adams is part of a cohort of people with Down syndrome who are finding attention via social media. For a few power users like her, social media has made them public figures, earning them money both online and via 'IRL' work. The Valentine Brothers — one of whom has Down syndrome — have amassed more than 8 million followers on TikTok. In 2022, Sofia Jirau became the first Victoria's Secret model with Down syndrome. Last year, Madison Tevlin won the Webby award for 'best influencer' and is one of the 50 creators-to-watch on TikTok's 2025 'Discover List.' Recent medical interventions, including a corrective surgery for a common Down syndrome-related heart defect, have significantly increased the lifespan of people with Down syndrome. A push toward inclusion and social connection has also created better quality of life. And popular shows such as the Netflix docuseries 'Love on the Spectrum' — which was just nominated for five Emmys — have helped broaden awareness and understanding of the interior lives of neurodivergent adults. Social media has helped change perceptions of a variety of disabilities. On TikTok, 'neurodivergence' has become a buzzword. It's also become a punch line. Social media has provided a platform for bullies to attack strangers that was impossible before the internet. But at their home in Orlando on a sunny Sunday, haters were far from the minds of this Down activist and her father. Steve Adams smiled as Abigail listed her many successes. 'I do gymnastics, I do acting and stuff, I do cheerleading, I used to do soccer but not anymore,' she said. 'Now, I'm doing triathlons. I just finished my seventeenth?' She looked to her dad. 'Eighteenth,' he said. 'Eighteenth!' she said, pointing her finger into the air with a smile. At that race, she beat her personal record. Abigail was the first woman with Down syndrome to compete in a sprint triathlon. Now, she's gearing up for her most ambitious race yet. 'My boyfriend did the half Ironman, and that inspired me to do an Ironman.' Two to three times a week, she works with a coach doing high-intensity interval training and weightlifting. Steve shoots, edits and uploads Abigail's videos. He comments on other accounts to drive engagement. And he deletes inappropriate or rude comments. 'It's a full-time job, but it's not my full-time job,' said Steve, who also earns income through property management. The social media presence that Steve and Abigail have created is deliberately inspirational. Steve remembers his wife saying: 'If we do this, it's not going to be to promote Abigail as an actress or a speaker. Her brand is going to be helping other people.' 'And that's why it's 'Abigail the Advocate' and not 'Abigail the fashion queen' or something like that,' Steve said. Not that he's opposed to content that is just for fun. Getting attention is part of the point. 'All the people who look away when a person with a disability comes into the room, I want them to know that looking away is not kind to the person,' Steve said. 'They want to be a part of the scene as much as anybody does. The fair and right thing to do is include them.' Steve prefers to be behind the camera. But there are several other social media accounts that center the relationship between a person with Down syndrome and a loved one. Lindsey Simon, who works as a digital marketer in Nashville, often includes her little brother Nate on her SimonSaidd Instagram account, which has more than 80,000 followers. His appearances are flagged with the hashtag #NateTheGreat. One of her favorite videos was recorded on Nate's 21st birthday. He had asked for a bottle of Hennessy. She hands him a capful. 'Oh no,' he says after his first sip of alcohol. 'It's a bad choice. It's a bad choice item. I don't know why I chose that.' His comic timing is perfect. Laughter peals from just off-camera. 'I'm going to be on the floor tomorrow.' Since then, booze has been a recurring theme of videos with Nate. 'Nate has four older siblings,' Simon said. 'We've always treated Nate since the day he was born like the rest of us.' She brushes off the critics who say she shouldn't give her brother alcohol. 'He knows his limits,' she said. 'We get so mad, Nate will order the most expensive cocktail, he'll take two sips and he's done with it. But the internet sees it a different way.' Simon said that criticism and cruelty are a daily part of her social media presence. She's received death threats from strangers who disapprove of her account, accusing her of profiting off of her brother or encouraging him to drink. But for her, the benefits of showing her pride in the brother she loves far outweigh the drawbacks. 'Shockingly, people have been so unbelievably kind and welcoming and accepting and — just as a sibling — I want to thank them for that,' she said. On Nate's birthday, she posted a P.O. Box address for people to send messages. She was overwhelmed by how many kind notes he received from strangers. Seeing others be cruel to her brother when they were younger had made Simon close herself off to people. Sharing videos of her brother helped her change her estimation of humanity. 'It's been very eye-opening,' she said, her own eyes growing misty. 'Have they always been that kind?' Kindness might not be the first word that comes to mind when you watch videos posted by Sarah Carolyn. Sarah runs a TikTok account with more than 4 million followers that mostly features she and her sister Emily roasting each other. A typical exchange from one video features Sarah saying 'What's up, my extra-chromie homie?' and Emily responding 'What's up, lesbian?' Sarah knows that some disapprove of the mocking names. 'They must have never experienced life with a younger or older sibling,' she wrote in an email. She added that Down syndrome exists on a spectrum and that many people underestimate her sister's emotional and social intelligence. 'When you see Emily for her and not for her Down syndrome, you see her quick and witty banter,' she wrote. But what about comments from strangers who are not so good-natured? Daniel Vais is a choreographer who serves as the creative and artistic director of Drag Syndrome, a troupe of drag performers based in London who have Down syndrome. Drag Syndrome focuses on live shows, but Vais also sees value in social media, especially as an archive of their work. 'I realized that it's another platform to be creative, but [with] our own rules,' Vais said. He encourages the performers in Drag Syndrome to ignore the number of followers, likes or comments that their social media accounts attract, and to focus on their own artistry. 'When Grace Jones is doing something, she's not waiting for someone to like it,' Vais said from his London apartment. 'It's very similar to us.' But he knows that being indifferent to criticism is easier said than done. 'Our first bad comment was so bad that I cried for two days,' Vais said. 'It just broke me.' Vais believes that social media platforms should be more proactive in educating and accommodating users with Down syndrome who want to operate their own social media accounts. But he's not holding his breath. 'The system wants hate,' he said. 'They want to keep people engaged.' The internet's breadth of Down syndrome content also harbors some alarming corners. Some material uploaded by adults with Down syndrome can be provocative. On TikTok, where dance videos are particularly popular, there are videos that feature people with Down syndrome twerking or gyrating. But in recent months, scads of videos have popped up that were created with AI software that seem to depict women with Down syndrome, paired with text that invites sexual attention. One Instagram account with the handle luisa_inspires featured several videos with suggestive text superimposed over videos of a young woman who appears to have Down syndrome. One video featured 'Luisa' in formfitting athletic shorts, looking back over her shoulder at the camera with the message 'Syndrome is down, but something is def up.' Other messages were more direct, with suggestive eggplant and peach emojis. The luisa_inspires account was created and run by Ilia Rozman, 38, who lives in Haifa, Israel. He also manages accounts featuring AI-generated avatars that make content about battling cancer and living with albinism. 'My main goal is to have a lot of them, a lot of AI influencers working in different categories and areas,' Rozman said, adding that he was currently developing a 'poor' AI avatar who owns nothing but a phone. The social media accounts of these 'influencers' were meant to drive traffic to his main business, which advertised itself as an agency that creates and sells custom AI characters for businesses. Rozman said that he created luisa_inspires to 'bring awareness' that people with Down syndrome 'don't need to be shy.' He dismissed concerns about sexual content, and he rejected concerns that his posts encouraged predatory behavior. He said that he had recently pivoted to racier content on the luisa_inspires account as a means of market research and that these posts don't violate any laws or Instagram terms of service, as far as he knew. 'There is a lot of [real] people that have Down syndrome and they are beautiful, and they are sexual, and they are also doing modeling,' he said. 'So I think it's not a big problem to make it a little bit sexier.' (In an emailed statement, Instagram owner Meta said the account was in fact violating their rules. After the inquiry from The Post, the luisa_inspires account vanished.) As algorithms began to disseminate suggestive content about people with Down syndrome — both real and AI-generated — commenters posted crude jokes. Then some creators compiled those comments into other videos. In April, an X account uploaded a 'chat video' setting them to music. It garnered 4.8 million views. Asked about its proliferation of Down-themed AI slop, a spokesperson for Meta sent the following statement to The Washington Post: 'Our Community Standards apply to all content posted on our platforms regardless of whether it's AI-generated, and we take action against any content that violates these policies.' TikTok also wrote in an email that it doesn't allow sexual solicitation or misleading AI content on its platform. Kandi Pickard, the president and CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society, is well aware of these AI videos. 'Individuals with Down syndrome should be the only ones speaking about what it's like to have Down syndrome,' she said. 'These accounts are destroying any attempt to tell stories of Down syndrome authentically.' But she's not opposed to people with Down syndrome logging on. 'There's a lot of good in social media, but there's also a lot scariness and exploitation that comes in social media for all people,' she said. (Pickard stressed that resources are available on the NDSS website about issues surrounding sexuality and consent for adults with Down syndrome.) Pickard said social media can be productive and fun for people with Down syndrome, provided caretakers properly explain the risks and rewards in a way they can understand. That can mean showing them examples of inappropriate videos. That's the approach she plans to take with her own 13-year-old son, Mason, who is already yearning to make YouTube videos. Even if she wanted to keep him offline, she doesn't think it's her choice to make. 'I'm like, 'Oh, do you want to watch Disney+?' He doesn't want to watch Disney+, he's on YouTube,' she said. 'YouTube is everything to him right now.'
Boston Globe
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Quincy, a city full of history, celebrates 400 years
Advertisement Ever since he was a child, John Rahman remembers his parents taking him to see the Abigail Adams statue in Quincy Center every Fourth of July. Attendees at the Quincy 400 celebration were fascinated by the TEN31 Productions living statues that impersonated John Adams and Abigail Adams on July 6, 2025. Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo Rahman, 37, grew up several miles away in Norwell, but he says his parents were diligent about teaching him about the area's history. On Sunday afternoon, he kept the tradition alive by standing in front of the Abigail Adams statue — 'I've always liked that Quincy celebrates its heritage,' Rahman said. Now a Quincy resident himself, Rahman also cherishes the city's history. He keeps a three-foot statue of John Quincy Adams in his apartment to remind him of his late father, who received the statue as a gift after working on its life-sized counterpart. Advertisement 'It helps me remember my city's history and my own history,' he said. The afternoon began with a series of American history-themed musical theater songs, including 'Sit Down, John' from '1776,' 'You'll Be Back' from 'Hamilton,' and 'Back to Before' from 'Ragtime,' each preceded by historical facts about Quincy. Afterwards, the Lexington Minutemen and Boston Alarm Company Fife & Drum took the stage dressed in Revolutionary War-era garb to perform a period-accurate march, and the evening promised entertainment from the Beantown Swing Orchestra and the Boston Lindy Hop Dancers. For Mary Ryan, 80, the celebration was as much a chance to honor Quincy's history as it was to enjoy the warm weather and slight breeze from her lawn chair. Richard Davia, Nick D'Amico and Ellen Olivers of TEN31 Productions, dress up as a statues of John Adams, John Hancock and Abigail Adams outside of Quincy City Hall during the 400th anniversary celebration of Quincy, MA on July 6, 2025. Heather Diehl for the Boston Glo 'I once lived in a house that was built in 1776 in Pembroke, and ever since then I've been interested in history. And Quincy has a lot of it,' said the retiree, who also proudly claimed membership in the Quincy Historical Society. Hancock Adams Common itself is rich with landmarks that boast Quincy's long history. As a volunteer tour guide at Although Tanner originally hails from Ohio, she's lived in Quincy for about 30 years and knows its history like the back of her hand. 'Quincy treasures its past,' she said. 'Living here made me want to learn its history.' Advertisement
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Red, white but rarely blue — the science of fireworks colors, explained
Fireworks explode over Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota's Black Hills. (Courtesy of Travel South Dakota) In the earliest days of the United States, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail about the celebration of independence, 'It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.' 'Bonfires and illuminations' refer directly to what we know as pyrotechnics and firework displays. I'm a chemist and also president of Pyrotechnics Guild International, an organization that promotes the safe use of fireworks and using them here in the U.S. to celebrate Independence Day and other festivals throughout the year. As a chemist, and someone who leads demonstrations for chemistry students, I consider fireworks a great example of combustion reactions that produce colored fire. But the invention of colored fireworks is relatively recent and not all colors are easy to produce. Firecrackers were first invented serendipitously by the Chinese in 200 B.C. But it wasn't until one thousand years later that Chinese alchemists developed fireworks in 800 A.D. These early fireworks were mostly bright and noisy concoctions designed to scare evil spirits – not the colorful, controlled explosions we see today. Fast forward another millennium and the Italians figured out how to add color by introducing various elements to the flammable mix. Adding the element strontium to a color pyrotechnic mix produces a red flame; copper, blue; barium, green; and sodium for yellow. Too much or too little of the chemicals make significant changes in the temperature and thus the wavelength of color seen. The proper mixture of chemicals when ignited produce enough energy to excite electrons to give off different colors of light. Even though the chemistry of these colors isn't new, each generation seems to get excited by the colors splashed across the sky. We now have a wide range of flame colors: red, green, blue, yellow, purple, and variations of these. Each color works the same way. As different elements ignite they release different wavelengths of light which translate as different colors. Not all colors of fireworks are equally easy to create. I believe several of my colleagues in pyrotechnic research and development would agree with me that blue is the most difficult color to produce. That is because the evening sky is a shade of blue, which means that most blues do not show up as well. If you try to make the blue brighter to contrast with the background it can look washed out. The right balance of copper and other chemicals in the flame or combustion reaction produce the best blue color flame in a firework. I have taken this into account when trying to create the best blue flame color, which I call pill box blue. It is just bright enough to stand out against the night sky but still a rich blue. I have over 20 blue pyrotechnic formulas and I have found one that comes very close to this elusive hue. Another difficulty in creating an intense blue color is that the chemistry is not simple. It requires a combination of several chemicals and the element copper. When copper ignites, the electrons surrounding the copper atoms get excited and energized in the flame. When the electrons release this energy, it appears to observers as blue light. Each color works the same way. As different elements ignite they release different wavelengths of light which translate as different colors. So when you see blue-colored dots of light creating a pattern in the night sky, you really are seeing excited electrons releasing energy as blue light. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
When America was born
In the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of America's independence, Post Opinions is publishing a series of essays and letters about the nation's founding — and how the events of that era remain relevant today. April 19, 1775 | LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS (Sergio García Sánchez and Lola Moral for The Washington Post) By Rick Atkinson It began just after dawn on April 19, 250 years ago, with an abrupt spatter of gunfire in rural Massachusetts that left eight Americans dead on Lexington Common, a bucolic crossroads of 750 people and 400 cows. For the next eight years, an obscure squabble on the edge of the world metastasized into both a civil war of internecine fury and a global conflict fought on four continents and the seven seas. By the end, after 1,300 battlefield actions, plus 241 naval engagements, the British Empire was badly diminished and the new United States of America was ascendant, a fledgling republic with its own imperial ambitions. READ MORE June 2, 1775 | PHILADELPHIA (Sergio García Sánchez and Lola Moral for The Washington Post) By Joseph J. Ellis On June 2, 1775, barely six weeks after British troops and colonial militias had clashed at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail. He was in Philadelphia, where the Continental Congress had recently convened, and she had reported to him about more recent skirmishing around Boston Harbor. He asked whether she had been frightened, and added: 'Poor Bostonians! My Heart Bleeds for them day and Night' — then reported encouraging signs of militancy stirring in Philadelphia, even if many in the Continental Congress resisted it. READ MORE Story continues below advertisement Advertisement June 18, 1775 | BOSTON (Sergio García Sánchez and Lola Moral for The Washington Post) By Joseph J. Ellis It took more than a month for the letter to reach John Adams in Philadelphia, but on June 18, 1775, Abigail Adams wrote the following words about events unfolding in Charlestown, just north of Boston: 'The Battle began upon our entrenchments upon Bunker Hill, a Saturday morning about 3 o'clock, and has not ceased yet and 'tis now 3 o'clock Sabbath afternoon. … How many have fallen we know not. The constant roar of the cannon is so distressing that we cannot Eat, Drink or Sleep.' READ MORE June 23, 1775 | LONDON (Sergio García Sánchez and Lola Moral for The Washington Post) By Nick Bunker In mid-June 1775, as the combatants far away at Bunker Hill in Massachusetts counted their dead, the English elite — as yet unaware of the battle — were welcoming the summer with horse racing, cricket and perhaps some flirtation in the pleasure gardens by the Thames. With Parliament adjourned until October, the landowning classes would soon leave London for their estates. READ MORE
Business Recorder
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Fortifying goodwill, protecting gains
Abigail Adams, mother of John Quincy Adams (a founding father and the sixth president of the USA) wrote to him at the height of the revolution, 'It is not in the still calm of life or the repose of a pacific station, that great characters are formed', further she wrote, '...the habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues'. Our leadership has arrived, finally. Pakistan has turned over a new leaf in its foreign policy construction. From several years of being isolated internationally, the phoenix has arisen from the ashes. Now, we must consolidate the gains. From the democratic turmoil that began in 1988, following the air crash of Gen Ziaul Haq and subsequent elections to the politically self-inflicted coup of 1999, Pakistan has been on the see- saw of trying to balance between accusations of being the hotbed of the rise of terrorism to being the front line state, during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and later the war on terror involving Afghanistan. Between the period 1999 and 2008, the semi- Democratic/military dispensation at Islamabad, held us in good stead, at least in terms of the economic growth. The suspicion of the West that we were playing on both sides of the field gained traction, which led to the dilution of support to the then government. Isolation had begun. Benazir Bhutto rallied for 'reconciliation' and almost achieved it. A sad and tragic moment it was for Pakistan that she was taken out by an assassin's bullet. Her martyrdom turned the tables upside down for the then government. The unprecedented sympathy vote allowed for PPP to form the government. Having signed the Charter of Democracy, all parties, particularly PML- N, were less acrimonious towards the government. The guns towards each were defanged—more of ' friendly fire'. However, during this period IK's cannons were blazing full steam. The 2013 elections witnessed an extremely peaceful transition from one democratic setup to another. Till the 2018 elections a lot of water passed under the bridge — crises arising out of Memo-gate, Panama paper leaks, Osama bin Laden' s capture from near Kakul academy, etc., were deftly handled by Pakistan. We survived the onslaught of global criticism. The 2018 elections brought in a new face to the government. Since 1988, there were two parties playing the musical chairs in Islamabad. 30 years later there was no representation of the two major arch rivals in the federal setup. IK's government was learning on the job, most cabinet were first time members. The intent to make Pakistan a stronger country was never in doubt, but the domestic squabbling deeply affected our foreign relationships. Following the success of the no- confidence motion (however dirty it may have been) a coalition government was ushered in. A quick turnaround to the damage caused due to inexperience, to the national economy, became the primary agenda. It paid limited dividends. The 2024 general election was as controversial as can be; it led to the installation of yet another coalition government where PPP refused to take any role in the federal government. There was unquestionable support from the establishment. India, which pinned hopes on perceived divisions in the polity of Pakistan, indulged in adventurism (2025). They thought a miserably divided nation will be a walk through the park. The contrary happened. India united us more formidably than ever before. In the duel initiated by India, the world witnessed in admiration how our armed forces were prepared. The state of preparedness shocked the wits out of the Indians. We struck back to their belligerent attacks by downing their five aircrafts, including the much-touted, pride of Indian air force, the French-built 'Rafale'!! Since then Pakistan has been peaking on the international circuit. Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, in the traditions of a kinetic Z. A. Bhutto, has been ferrying across to Capitals in the region, seeking political support, a fair understanding of our views on Kashmir/India, while simultaneously seeking out economic opportunities, inclusive of overseas investment into Pakistan. On the international landscape, the support from Turkiye and China has been exemplary. The intervention of the United States, in particular President Donald Trump's step to stop and cease the hostilities/ war, is a remarkable event in recent history of the subcontinent. This favoured us to see the USA in the forefront in accepting our narrative. India was nervous and edgy—the leadership was in a state of bewilderment. They asked and submitted to a ceasefire, arranged by Donald Trump. Now they are crying foul that they didn't. The world doesn't buy India's falsehood anymore. Pakistan has been lauded from Dhaka to Baku, from Dushanbe to Abu Dhabi and from Beijing to Washington. This achievement is real. It has come our way after a very long time. The last notable expression of support from the USA was in 1974, when while welcoming Z A Bhutto, at Andrew Air Force Base hangar, Richard Nixon, the President had said: 'the territorial integrity and solidarity of Pakistan is a cornerstone of American foreign policy.' Donald Trump in the last few weeks has publicly appreciated Pakistan and Pakistanis. This augurs well for us. We have a natural tendency to praise and self appreciate ourselves liberally and lavishly. Let's pause our self-appreciation. Pakistan stands tall today in the comity of nations. However, we have still a lot more to do and achieve. Let's not beguile ourselves and lose direction. We must not lose this moment of opportunity. Our Foreign Policy must be revisited to include a target of furthering economic relations while seeking diplomatic engagements of fruitful outcomes. The Deputy Prime Minister has done well to send young Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as head of the delegation to various important world capitals. He has surprised his critics. He carried himself well, with great maturity, soberity and placid posturing before the carnivorous media. This is an opportune time for us to strengthen economic relations with our friends in Beijing, Washington, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi in particular and with all other republics of Central Asia. Azerbaijanis openly celebrated our win against India. We must seek them out for greater economic collaboration. Riyadh is experiencing unheard of economic boom; we must engage to look beyond political support. Prime minister Sharif with his personal rapport with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must translate this friendship into a strong and formidable economic bonds. We must move towards a comprehensive 15- 20 year economic plan, which must offer consolidation of gains made and a new format of the terms of engagement with our overseas investors. Shashi Tharoor's visit to various countries has crashed. They were unable to sell falsehood. The major world Capitals are unwilling to purchase India's narrative regarding the Pahalgam incident. India consistently is making wrong moves. Blinded by the lens of hate, and in a state of spite and anger, the leadership is behaving irrationally and immaturely. If S Jaishanker is at loss words, it speaks volumes of how confused the leadership. Modi was first given a cold shoulder by G- 7. An invitation was literally extracted, which proved to be of little help. He got no chance to meet President Trump. He however faced insulting protests from a large Sikh community whose demand for independent Khalistan is only growing. They have completely alienated the minorities, including the Sikhs. Their demand is compelling. If this wasn't enough to cause ripples in New Delhi, the unprecedented lunch hosted by President Donald Trump in honour of our Field Marshal and army chief Asim Munir ripped the Indian narrative into shreds. President Trump then and since then has on numerous occasions expressed that he loves Pakistan and Pakistanis. He also mentions about the bait thrown at Modi of trade opportunities. Modi is confused to bite the bait or not; both ways, he has already done a political Harakiri. India is stunned!! Pakistan played a master stroke by nominating President Donald Trump for Nobel Peace prize—- an award that will be controversial, given the US complicity seen in Gaza. However, he did successfully broker a ceasefire and doused the fire of a possible nuclear engagement between the two nuclear-charged neighbours. As a footnote to this piece, what needs appreciation is while all this was happening, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister, through the courtesy of Beijing, signed a tripartite agreement with Afghanistan and in the quietness of the Kremlin, Tariq Fatemi, a polished diplomat, who is no stranger to the Russians, progressed well with his diplomacy. Targets achieved. Significant bases covered. All events have stood in favour of Pakistan. We must not squander this goodwill. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
