winph4 The Social Security Administration recently announced the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025, and beneficiaries can expect a 2.5% raise (amounting to around $50 per month for the average retiree) heading into next year. But that's not the only change coming for Social Security. A new year brings a slew of new income limits that could affect your benefit in several ways. While many of these changes will increase your monthly payment, some are not quite as beneficial -- especially if you're a higher-earning worker. Here's what you can expect heading into 2025. One big change affecting workers One income limit directly affecting your benefit amount is the maximum taxable earnings limit. This cap is the highest annual income subject to Social Security tax, and the closer your wages are to this limit, the higher your benefit will be. In 2024, the cap is $168,600 per year. Beginning in January 2025, though, it will increase to $176,100 per year. It's normal for the earnings limit to increase most years, as it's designed to keep pace with cost-of-living changes. For context, 20 years ago in 2004, the limit was only $87,900 per year. However, while these limits affect everyone, they can have a more significant impact on higher-earning individuals. If your earnings land at or above the limit, you'll face taxes on more of your income year after year. The increase in 2025 will perhaps have the biggest impact on those earning between $168,600 and $176,100 per year, as you'll face Social Security tax on income that wasn't previously taxed in 2024. At the current payroll tax rate of 12.4% (which includes both the employer and employee tax), that additional $7,500 in income will result in a tax bump of $930 per year. The good news about higher income limits While paying more in taxes may not be ideal, the silver lining is that it will result in a larger benefit down the road -- and you may even be able to snag the maximum monthly checks. In 2025, the maximum Social Security payment will be increasing from $4,873 per month to a whopping $5,108 per month. To earn this payment, there are three requirements you'll need to meet: work for at least 35 years, delay claiming benefits until age 70, and consistently reach the maximum taxable earnings limit. As the wage cap continues to rise year after year, it becomes more difficult to earn the highest possible Social Security benefit. But if you're earning enough to reach that income limit, you've already met what could be considered the most challenging hurdle to collecting this benefit. Simpler ways to boost your benefit What if you're not earning anywhere close to $176,100 per year? While that will unfortunately disqualify you from the maximum payment, you can still take steps to increase your benefit amount. Delaying claiming benefits is one way to earn higher payments. For every month you wait past age 62 , you'll receive a slightly larger check. Filing at your full retirement age (which is between ages 66 and 67, depending on your birth year) will earn you 100% of your benefit, while waiting until age 70 will result in a bonus of at least 24% on top of your full payment. The average retiree collects around $1,298 per month in benefits at age 62, according to December 2023 data from the Social Security Administration. At ages 67 and 70, that average jumps to $1,884 per month and $2,038 per month, respectively. Even if you can only delay benefits by a year or two, it can substantially increase the size of your checks. Working longer than 35 years is another option for boosting your payments. The first step of calculating your benefit involves taking an average of your wages throughout the 35 years of your career that you earned the most. Chances are you're probably earning more now than you were 35 years ago. Because only the top-earning years are included in your average, working more years with a higher income can replace some of the lower-earning years in your calculation -- resulting in a larger benefit. A higher maximum earnings limit in 2025 may raise your tax bill if you're a high earner, but it will also bring you closer to a larger maximum benefit amount for Social Security. Even if you're off track for that payment, small steps can go a long way toward boosting your checks each month.

The world's most climate-imperilled nations stormed out of consultations in protest at the deadlocked UN COP29 conference Saturday, as simmering tensions over a hard-fought finance deal erupted into the open. Diplomats from small island nations threatened by rising seas and impoverished African states angrily filed out of a meeting with summit hosts Azerbaijan over a final deal being thrashed out in a Baku sports stadium. "We've just walked out. We came here to this COP for a fair deal. We feel that we haven't been heard," said Cedric Schuster, the Samoan chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). An unpublished version of the final text circulating in Baku, and seen by AFP, proposes that rich nations raise to $300 billion a year by 2035 their commitment to poorer countries to fight climate change. COP29 hosts Azerbaijan intended to put a final draft before 198 nations for adoption or rejection on Saturday evening, a full day after the marathon summit officially ended. But, in a statement, AOSIS said it had "removed" itself from the climate finance discussions, demanding an "inclusive" process. "If this cannot be the case, it becomes very difficult for us to continue our involvement here at COP29," it said. Sierra Leone's climate minister Jiwoh Abdulai, whose country is among the world's poorest, said the draft was "effectively a suicide pact for the rest of the world". An earlier offer from rich nations of $250 billion was slammed as offensively low by developing countries, who have demanded much higher sums to build resilience against climate change and cut emissions. UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the revised offer of $300 billion was "a significant scaling up" of the existing pledge by developed nations, which also count the United States, European Union and Japan among their ranks. At sunset, a final text still proved elusive, as harried diplomats ran to-and-fro in the stadium near the Caspian Sea searching for common ground. "Hopefully this is the storm before the calm," said US climate envoy John Podesta in the corridors as somebody shouted "shame" in his direction. Earlier, the EU's climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra said negotiators were not out of the woods yet. "We're doing everything we can on each of the axes to build bridges and to make this into a success. But it is iffy whether we will succeed," he said. Ali Mohamed, the Kenyan chair of the African Group of Negotiators, told AFP: "No deal is better than a bad deal." South African environment minister Dion George, however, said: "I think being ambitious at this point is not going to be very useful." "What we are not up for is going backwards or standing still," he said. "We might as well just have stayed at home then." The revised offer from rich countries came with conditions in other parts of the broader climate deal under discussion in Azerbaijan. The EU in particular wants an annual review on global efforts to phase out fossil fuels, which are the main drivers of global warming. This has run into opposition from Saudi Arabia, which has sought to water down a landmark pledge to transition away from oil, gas and coal made at COP28 last year. "We will not allow the most vulnerable, especially the small island states, to be ripped off by the new, few rich fossil fuel emitters," said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Wealthy nations counter that it is politically unrealistic to expect more in direct government funding. The US earlier this month elected former president Donald Trump, a sceptic of both climate change and foreign assistance, and a number of other Western countries have seen right-wing backlashes against the green agenda. A coalition of more than 300 activist groups accused historic polluters most responsible for climate change of skirting their obligation, and urged developing nations to stand firm. The draft deal posits a larger overall target of $1.3 trillion per year to cope with rising temperatures and disasters, but most would come from private sources. Even $300 billion would be a step up from the $100 billion now provided by wealthy nations under a commitment set to expire. A group of developing countries had demanded at least $500 billion, with some saying that increases were less than met the eye due to inflation. Experts commissioned by the United Nations to assess the needs of developing countries said $250 billion was "too low" and by 2035 rich nations should be providing at least $390 billion. The US and EU have wanted newly wealthy emerging economies like China -- the world's largest emitter -- to chip in. China, which remains classified as a developing nation under the UN framework, provides climate assistance but wants to keep doing so on its own voluntary terms. bur-np-sct/lth/giv

Reports: Bill Belichick interviews for North Carolina jobNone

There are three games featuring a ranked team on Saturday’s college basketball schedule. Watch women’s college basketball, other live sports and more on Fubo. What is Fubo? Fubo is a streaming service that gives you access to your favorite live sports and shows on demand. Use our link to sign up for a free trial. Catch tons of live women’s college basketball , plus original programming, with ESPN+ or the Disney Bundle.Via Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Brady had a direct role in helping Michigan secure quarterback Bryce Underwood. While a reported commitment of $12 million might have helped, Brady got involved. “A FaceTime conversation between Brady and Underwood a few weeks ago marked the beginning of their relationship, which grew over multiple conversations,” Zenitz reports. That’s fine, in isolation. But now that Brady has a vested interested in boosting the Raiders, he’ll need to tread lightly in his work as a Michigan booster. From the NFL’s tampering policy, as it relates to college players: “No club, nor any person employed by or otherwise affiliated with a club or the League (including a player), is permitted to tamper with college players who are ineligible for selection or participation in the League. Direct or indirect attempts to induce underclassmen to petition the League for special eligibility or to declare to the League their desire to enter the League under the early-graduation rule are prohibited. Club personnel who make public comments about the football ability or NFL potential of underclassmen who have not yet been officially declared eligible for the draft will be subject to discipline by the Commissioner.” In his role as a supporter of the Michigan program, Brady’s motivation would be to advice Underwood to stay put. But if the Raiders need a quarterback and would be in position to draft Underwood, Brady would be prohibited for directly or indirectly trying to persuade Underwood to go to the NFL early. As written, the rule doesn’t prohibit other things that Brady could do to help the Raiders while also ostensibly helping Underwood. If, for example, Underwood is thinking about leaving Michigan (and possibly being drafted by a team with which the Raiders regularly compete), Brady would be permitted to persuade Underwood to stay in school. Likewise, Brady would be permitted to try to persuade Underwood to refuse to play for certain teams. Still, there has to be a limit to what Brady can do for Underwood, if the friendship grows and Brady becomes an unofficial adviser. Ultimately, the league might need to come up with a set of rules aimed at keeping Brady from using situations like this to the benefit of the Raiders. The league has already done that regarding Brady’s job as a broadcaster. Given his name and reputation and accomplishments, the league might need to consider ways to ensure that Brady won’t try to put his thumb on the scale for the Raiders under the guise of mentoring young players at Michigan or elsewhere.

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‘World at dawn of third nuclear age’, armed forces chief warnsNa’eem Offord is taking his talents to Autzen Stadium to join Oregon, but he first made sure his commitment announcement was as memorable as his on-field play . On Wednesday, during the early signing period, the five-star cornerback and No. 4 overall player in the Class of 2025 officially de-committed to Ohio State , committed to Oregon after pretending to go to Auburn, and then threw the hat into the crowd. Signing Day theatrics for NCAA athletes usually feature a row with several hats, as athletes play to the crowd before ultimately making a choice. After taking official visits with Auburn, Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, and Oregon, Offord initially picked up Auburn’s hat and placed it on his head, drawing cheers from local fans. He quickly hurled the hat into the crowd, grabbed the Oregon hat, and declared himself a Duck. Social media exploded after the No. 1 ranked Ducks continued to improve after the team also bagged the signature of No. 3 ranked Dakorien Moore[WR], No. 15 Douglas Utu [OT], No. 34 Brandon Finney [ATH} and No. 39 Dallas Wilson [WR.] Alabama's College Football Playoff ranking blasted by fans, media - 'The rig is in' Shedeur Sanders gifts $200,000 car that 'practically floats down the road' to Colorado teammate Offord originally committed to Ohio State in February after visiting the school. The Buckeyes ended the 2023 season with an 11-1 record and a Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri. The CB from A.H. Parker High School in Birmingham is regarded as one of the most gifted players in his class. Recruiting analysts frequently compare his athleticism, footwork, and instincts to NFL veteran Stephon Gilmore. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Offord possesses the size and speed elite programs search for in a shutdown corner. Oregon wasted no time rolling out the red carpet for its newest star, posting a slick highlight video on social media. They released a 30-second video that said, "Got us a ballhawk," and Offord responded with a simple, "Let’s go." A subsequent post read, “TGFAD [Thank God for Another Day],” signaling his excitement for the next chapter of his football journey. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning then tweeted, "Today Was A Good Day," after showing love on posts of over 17 new incoming players for the program. Offord’s commitment to Oregon came after 30 official NCAA Division I offers from top programs nationwide, including Colorado, where Deion Sanders courted him. As of August, Oregon has the highest NIL valuation of all programs in the country at approximately $969 million. Auburn is ninth with $580 million, Ohio State is No. 11 with $536 million, and Colorado is No. 46 with $208 million.

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NonePercentages: FG 42.029, FT .571. 3-Point Goals: 2-17, .118 (Olsen 1-4, Gyamfi 1-1, Stuelke 0-1, Affolter 0-2, Feuerbach 0-3, Mallegni 0-3, McCabe 0-3) Blocked Shots: 7 (Heiden 3, Stuelke 1, Affolter 1, Mallegni 1, Stremlow 1) Turnovers: 14 (O'Grady 2, Affolter 2, Feuerbach 2, Stremlow 2, Stuelke 1, Olsen 1, Ediger 1, Heiden 1, Guyton 1, Mallegni 1) Steals: 7 (Affolter 2, Olsen 1, Ediger 1, Gyamfi 1, Mallegni 1, Stremlow 1) Technical Fouls: None Percentages: FG 27.419, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 7-30, .233 (J.Villa 3-9, Wallack 3-8, E.Villa 1-3, Tuhina 0-3, Mendes 0-2, Abraham 0-3, Gardner 0-2) Blocked Shots: 5 (Covill 2, Wallack 1, Mendes 1, Gardner 1) Turnovers: 20 (E.Villa 3, Wallack 3, Alsina 3, Abraham 2, Dart 2, Covill 1, Tuhina 1, J.Villa 1, Mendes 1, Kpetikou 1, Chiu 1, Gardner 1) Steals: 9 (Tuhina 2, Gardner 2, E.Villa 1, J.Villa 1, Abraham 1, Alsina 1, Chiu 1) Technical Fouls: None A_14,998 Officials_Cameron Inouye, Missy Brooks, Lauren Niemiera

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Celtic captain Callum McGregor issued a warning from recent history over the dangers of getting carried away by their healthy lead in the title race. The William Hill Premiership leaders moved seven points clear of Aberdeen with a game in hand of their nearest rivals following a 1-0 win at Pittodrie on Wednesday night. Rangers are a further four points adrift but a 6-0 win over Kilmarnock at Ibrox, on top of their 4-1 victory in Nice last week, suggests Philippe Clement’s side are starting to hit some form. McGregor is refusing to take notice of the table, pointing to last season as evidence of how quickly things can change. Brendan Rodgers’ side were seven points ahead of Rangers after seven matches but the Light Blues went top in February after Celtic drew at home to Kilmarnock. The Hoops were five points behind and a goal down at Motherwell at one stage but ended up winning the title by eight points. When asked about the league table, the midfielder said: “I think we were seven or eight points clear last year and then ended up seven behind. That shows you how quickly football can change and you have to learn from that experience as well. “We understand it’s a good start, of course it is, but the reason why it’s been a good start is because of the way we’re approaching the game, the way that we’re training, the relentless nature of the coaches and the players. “Everybody, every day, is giving their absolute all and I think the squad, you can see that when boys come into the team, there’s a hunger to do well and everything’s in a good place. “The only bit that we can control is that and then when we go to the pitch on a Saturday or a Wednesday, whatever day we’re playing, then we try to get the maximum out of that match that we possibly can. “We’ve ended up in a good position, but we’re not even halfway through yet, so we know there’s so much football to be played.” Celtic have now gone 29 domestic matches unbeaten but McGregor knows that record is down to keeping their standards high and making sure any sign of complacency is stamped down on. He said: “I’ll be backed up by a lot of senior players, a lot of good senior pros – our building’s full of them. The staff are unbelievable, they work tirelessly. “The work they put in every single day, the players respect that and the coaches respect the players. “It’s a brilliant place to work and if anybody’s having any days like that, then it’s very quickly nailed. We move on and we try to work in the right way.” Reo Hatate’s expertly-taken goal was enough to give Celtic victory in conditions that were among the worst McGregor had played in – wind speeds approached 50 miles per hour at a wet Pittodrie. “To be fair, the defenders read it really well and covered each other and always expected the worst,” he said. “Overall, I think it was a really impressive win in terms of the conditions and the way we played and the way we controlled the game. “Probably with the weather and the wind, that last wee bit was just missing in the first half. “It’s difficult but the players handled it really well. I thought we showed a really good level technically and tactically in the game.” This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.The Verdict [Fake] Continues below advertisement window.addEventListener("load", function() { let ad_unit_fire_time = 1000; if(ad_delay_time_abp > 0){ ad_unit_fire_time = parseInt(ad_delay_time_abp) + 500; } setTimeout(function () { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-9167143-2"); }); },ad_unit_fire_time) }); Deepfake videos of Sudha and Narayana Murthy falsely claim they launched a project enabling users to earn Rs 1 lakh a day through AI-powered software. What is the claim? A viral Facebook video featuring Indian social worker and philanthropist Sudha Murthy claims she has launched a project enabling people to earn Rs 100,000 ($ 1,183) a day. Continues below advertisement window.addEventListener("load", function() { let ad_unit_fire_time = 1000; if(ad_delay_time_abp > 0){ ad_unit_fire_time = parseInt(ad_delay_time_abp) + 500; } setTimeout(function () { googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display("div-gpt-ad-1253031-3"); }); },ad_unit_fire_time) }); The 3-minute, 54-second video shows Murthy promoting a project that is claimed to help people "earn Rs 2.8 million a month." She states that only 100 people are eligible for the offer, with just 50 spots available. Murthy further explains that they have created artificial intelligence-powered software that will allow participants to earn Rs 100,000 daily. She further mentions that the software was tested with a small group, where users reportedly earned Rs 5.7 million in the first week. According to her, the number of users will grow once the government begins selling the project. To join, viewers are encouraged to visit the linked website and submit their details. An archived version of the video is available here . A screenshot of the social media post. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts) However, our investigation found the claim to be false. The video was manipulated using deepfake technology to promote a fake money-making scam. Murthy has not announced any such project. Video of Sudha Murthy has been altered Our investigation included reverse image searches on keyframes of the video, revealing similar (archive here ) short clips published by a YouTube channel called 'Mohammed Ahsan's Library.' In these videos, Murthy can be seen wearing the same saree and sitting in the same setting. However, in these original videos, Murthy discusses topics like raising children (archived here ), romance, and her relationship (archived here ) with her husband, Indian billionaire businessman Narayana Murthy. None of these videos, however, mention a money-making project. Comparison between the fake video and the original video. (Source: Facebook/YouTube/Modified by Logically Facts) Further analysis of the audio reveals noticeable discrepancies. The voice in the viral video sounds robotic, with an accent unlike Murthy's. Additionally, her lip movements seem altered to match the fabricated voice, suggesting the use of deepfake technology. The Misinformation Combat Alliance's Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU), which Logically Facts is a part of, analyzed the audio using deepfake detection tools Hive Audio Detector, Hiya AI Voice Detection, and TrueMedia. TrueMedia identified substantial manipulation, detecting facial alterations with 97 percent confidence and AI-generated audio with 100 percent certainty, likely created using cloning software (99 percent confidence). It also flagged facial feature discrepancies with 65 percent confidence. Image shows the deepfake detection results by TrueMedia. (Source: TrueMedia/Modified by Logically Facts) Hiya AI Voice Detection confirmed that the audio is fake, with only a 1 percent match to live human markers. Hive AI's detector identified only five segments of the audio as "Not AI-generated," while the visual analysis confirmed the video as a deepfake with minimal doubt. Image shows deepfake detection analysis by Hive AI. (Source: Hive AI/screenshot) What else did we find? The Facebook page sharing the video is not based in India. According to the page’s transparency details, its primary locations are Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ukraine, and the United States. The page name is written in Thai and reads “Ranong Provincial Police Station,” based in Thailand. The image shows the primary location of the managers of the Facebook page. (Source: Facebook/Screenshot) Altered video of Narayana Murthy We discovered that the video links to a website called 'inirliff.com,' which masquerades as a news article from The Times of India. The page mimics the design of the national daily's website, including its masthead and navigation options. The article claims that Indian citizens can earn Rs 2 million by investing Rs 21,000, with registration closing on November 22. However, The Times of India has not published any such article. The website is fake and designed to deceive users. It lacks contact information or external links, and interacting with the masthead or sections redirects users to the bottom of the page. A screenshot of the fake website, which looks like the Times of India news website. (Source: Inirliff.com/Screenshot) The fake website includes a deepfake video of Narayana Murthy, repeating the same claims as the altered Sudha Murthy video. The 4:41-minute clip was created by modifying lip movements and generating a fake voice using AI. A reverse image search traced the original video (archive here ) to a 25:35-minute CNBC-TV18 interview featuring both Murthys. Narayana Murthy does not discuss any such project in the original. The deepfake was constructed by splicing segments from the interview, with the first 19 seconds taken from the 22:29 to 22:48 mark. TrueMedia confirmed the audio was AI-generated with 100 percent confidence and flagged unusual facial patterns with 48 percent confidence. Hive AI detected manipulation across multiple video frames, classifying all but 20 seconds of audio as AI-generated. Hiya AI Voice Detection also confirmed the audio was AI-created. Similar deepfake scams involving former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and businessman Gautam Adani featured nearly identical audio scripts, differing only in names and earnings claims. What does the fake website do? The website claims that a software called Quantum AI can help individuals earn Rs 2 million per month by investing just Rs 21,000. It features fabricated testimonials from people allegedly earning millions with minimal investment. Users are asked to fill out a form with their contact information, likely to collect personal data and potentially defraud them. A screenshot of the fake website shows the contact form. (Source: Inirliff.com/Screenshot) The website also claims to have partnerships with major Indian companies like Tata Group, HDFC Bank, Infosys, Reliance, and the State Bank of India. However, there is no evidence that any of these companies are involved with Quantum AI. What is Quantum AI? We've previously fact-checked similar deepfake videos featuring figures like Elon Musk and Narayana Murthy promoting fraudulent schemes involving software like Quantum AI. These claims are false. Quantum AI does not exist as legitimate software to help people earn money; scammers use such terms to make their schemes seem more credible. The verdict Deepfake videos of Sudha Murthy and Narayana Murthy have been used to falsely promote a project that supposedly allows people to earn Rs 100,000 a day. The videos and associated claims are part of a deceptive scam. This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com , and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.

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