Former US President Jimmy Carter dies at age 100

According to RIA Novosti on December 30, the Atlanta Constitution Journal reported that former US President Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of 100.

"Former President Jimmy Carter, who redefined life after the presidency, died on December 29. He was 100," the source wrote.

The Jimmy Carter Foundation later confirmed the news. US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump expressed their condolences over Carter's passing.

Incumbent President Joe Biden called Mr Carter "an outstanding leader, public servant and humanitarian".

"With compassion and morality, he fought disease, established peace, defended human and civil rights, promoted free and fair elections, helped the homeless, and always championed the causes of the underdog," the White House website said.

On the social network Truth Social, Mr. Donald Trump emphasized that, with the efforts of former President Carter, he "made the lives of the American people better".

"Those of us fortunate enough to be president understand that this is a place where only we can understand the enormous responsibility of leading the greatest nation in history," Trump wrote.

Former President Jimmy Carter holds the record for longevity among all US Presidents. He was awarded the award on October 1, 2019, when he became the only US leader to turn 95.

The 39th President of the United States was born in Georgia in 1924, to a family of nurses and middle-class farmers. After graduating from the prestigious Naval Academy, Carter served in the submarine fleet, but a few years after his father's death, Carter returned home to take over the family business: growing and selling peanuts.

He became involved in civil rights and racial equality early on, and entered politics. Carter first became active in the Democratic Party, was elected to the state Senate, and in 1970 won the governorship. In 1976, he became the Democratic nominee and narrowly defeated incumbent President Gerald Ford.

Carter began his White House tenure by granting amnesty to hundreds of thousands of draft dodgers during the Vietnam War. In September 1977, he signed an agreement to return the Panama Canal to Panama in 2000.

Under Carter's patronage, two Middle East settlement agreements between Egypt and Israel were also negotiated. He helped establish formal diplomatic relations between the United States and China.