JD Vance becomes first bearded US Vice President since 1909
Washington, D.C.: JD Vance, the 40-year-old senator from Ohio, made history by becoming the first US Vice President to sport a beard since Charles W. Fairbanks, who served under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1905 to 1909. Vance took the oath as the 50th Vice President during an inauguration ceremony held at the US Capitol Rotunda.
The event, held indoors due to freezing temperatures, also marked other notable milestones. At 78 years and seven months, Donald Trump became the oldest president to take office, surpassing Joe Biden's previous record. Vance, born in 1984, became the first millennial Vice President and the third youngest in US history.
This marks a return of facial hair to high executive offices, which had been absent for nearly a century. The last Vice President to sport facial hair was Charles Curtis, who served under President Herbert Hoover from 1929 to 1933 with a moustache.
Vance, author of the memoir Hillbilly Elegy, is known for his advocacy for working-class Americans. Raised as a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism in 2019. His wife, Usha Vance, born to Indian immigrants, is now the first Asian American Second Lady.
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Sameer Ahmed elected President of SKMWA Muscat for 2026–2027
Muscat: Sameer Ahmed, a native of Udupi and currently employed in a private company in Muscat, has been elected President of the South Kanara Muslim Welfare Association (SKMWA), Muscat, for the 2026–2027 term.
The election was conducted during the association’s Annual General Body Meeting held at Al Reef Hotel, Muscat, in the presence of chief guests Adil Shaikh, Monabba, Shareef, and Sahebzada Mehmood.
The newly elected office bearers include Vice Presidents Mohd Arif (Udupi) and Niyaz Mohammed (Mangalore), General Secretary Jaseem Basha (Kundapura), Joint Secretaries Rizwan Ali (Udupi) and Zaheer Hussain (Moodbidri), Treasurer Tajuddin Sheikh (Tonse), Assistant Treasurer Irfan Ahmed (Udyavara), Finance Secretary Mohammed Asif Gafur (Karkala), Assistant Finance Secretary Mohammed Akif Gafoor (Karkala), and Auditor Ashraf Ali (Kaup).
The Core Committee includes Event Coordinators Ansar Katipalla and Adil Moodbidri, and Sports Coordinators Ashpak Basrur and Muneer Ahmed (Sastan).
The programme commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran by Zaid Asif. The Annual Activity Report for 2025 was presented by Sameer Ahmed, while the financial report was delivered by Mohammed Asif Gafoor and verified by Auditor Ashraf Ali.
Former president Azim was felicitated by Syed Mohiddin Saheb during the event.
The meeting concluded with an address by the newly elected president, followed by a vote of thanks proposed by General Secretary Jaseem Basha. The programme was coordinated by Syed Mohiddin Saheb (Sastan) and Ansar Katipalla.
