Social Security makes new payment schedule official – See when you’ll get your new check in December
There are usually two types of people on Dec. 26: those who never want to open their wallet again and those who are still swept up by the holiday (spending) spirit (that post-Christmas aftershock can hit hard and fast) — but after-Christmas sales somehow temp both. Some retailers’ deals on “the day after” are even hotter than they were on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, and from winter wear , shoes and slippers and tech gadgets to home goods , kitchenware , and toys , the sweet deals span every category. So, if you want to put all Christmas gift cards to use, you can shop Amazon’s winter sale and score plenty of amazing finds, like the Beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian Noise-Cancelling Headphones in the prettiest neutrals , Samsonite luggage , and the De’Longhi Magnifica Plus Fully Automatic Espresso Machine for up to and well over 40% off. Tory Burch is also hosting a Semi-Annual Sale through Jan. 6, so if you didn’t get the handbag or pair of designer shoes you wanted under the tree, you can take an additional 25% off any sale item, including the Ever-Ready Zip Tote for $118 off and the Banana Chelsea Boots for a whopping $271 off. In the event you’re just too tired to scan for and scout out these major Christmas-aftermath markdowns , no worries! We’ve compiled this comprehensive list of the best sales and steepest deals to mellow your post-holiday hangover and get you pumped to start anew in 2025. Best 2024 After-Christmas Sales Amazon : Get 40% off all the best toys, games, electronics, home, kitchen, tech, fashion, and beauty products you may not have scooped up before the holidays. Great deals: Beats Studio Pro x Kim Kardashian Noise-Cancelling Headphones for $170, instead of $350 KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer for $330, instead of $450 De’Longhi Magnifica Plus Fully Automatic Espresso Machine for $706, instead of $1,200 Dillard’s : For a limited time, pick up everything you need to get through the winter season in style from Dillard’s After Christmas Sale , including designer boots , women’s coats , handbags , all up to 40% off, plus a very special spotlight on UGG styles . Great deals: UGG Funkette Suede Platform Clogs for $87, instead of $130 UGG Classic Ultra Mini Water-Resistant Family Matching Booties for $101, instead of $150 COACH Willow Pebble Leather Bucket Crossbody Bag for $210, instead of $350 Disney Store : Disney Store’s Twice Upon a Year Sale is happening right now and, for a limited time, you can score up to 50% off on everything from clothing and accessories to toys and homeware — no promo code needed. Plus, you’ll also get a $18 Minnie or Mickey Mouse Valentine’s Day Plush with any purchase. Great deals: Walt Disney World Holiday Starbucks Bling Tumbler in Red for $25, instead of $50 Minnie Mouse Sequined Polka Dot Loungefly Mini Backpack for $70, instead of $98 Mickey Mouse Beverage and Cheese Tote for $85, instead of $100 Glossier : While supplies last, Glossier’s Warehouse Sale is taking up to 40% off select items like mascara and liners, lipsticks, eye glow shadows, skin tints, and highlighters. Plus, you’ll get a free Glossier You Solid fragrance with any purchase $75+. Great deals: Pro Tip Brush Point Liquid Eyeliner for $12, instead of $21 Lidstar Glistening Eye Glow for $12, instead of $20 The Lash Kit Lash Slick + Lash Curler for $16, instead of $32 Macy’s : If stocking up on kitchen appliances, furniture, fashion and accessories for New Year’s Eve and beyond is like music to your ears, then you find steals up to 60% off during Macy’s after-Christmas sale . Great deals: Lauren Ralph Lauren Micromink Plush Blanket for $27, instead of $90 Michael Kors Women’s Faux-Fur-Trim Hooded Puffer Coat, Exclusively Created for Macy’s for $140, instead of $350 Samsonite Freeform Hardside Spinner Luggage Collection , starting from $160 Ninja : Add some pro-level appliances to your kitchen islands and countertops for up to 39% off with Ninja’s Gift Yourself Sale . And quell any Ninja SLUSHi cravings (yes, it’s STILL out of stock) with another brand bestseller. Great deals: Ninja Flip Toaster Oven & Air Fryer for $150, instead of $200 Ninja CREAMi 7-in-1 Ice Cream Maker for $180, instead of $230 Ninja NeverDull Premium 13-Piece Wood Series Knife System for $230, instead of $300 Nordstrom : The retailer’s Half-Yearly Sale is offering up to 60% off on beauty, fashion, accessories, fragrances and more for men, women and children. Great deals: Dermaflash LUXE+ Advanced Sonic Dermaplaning & Peach Fuzz Removal Set for $139, instead of $199 Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair for $175, instead of $219 Tumi Celina Backpack in Olive for $379, instead of $475 Tory Burch : Enjoy new markdowns up to 40% off and, for a limited time, take an additional 25% off your sale item during Tory Burch’s Semi-Annual Sale through Jan. 6. Great deals: Carson Lug Sole Ankle Boot for $195, instead of $458 Mini Swing Satchel for $210, instead of $398 Kira Chevron Tote for $300, instead of $628 UGG : Through 4 p.m. on Dec. 26, grab best-in-season winter shoes, comfy sweats and slippers for your sidekicks for up to 50% off during the UGG Holiday Sale . Great deals: Women’s Dakota Slipper for $77, instead of $110 Men’s Classic Slip-On Shaggy Suede Slipper for $77, instead of $110 Women’s Tazzlita Platform for $105, instead of $150 The Best Deals in December 10 best-selling Amazon products our readers loved in 2024 10 board games you can buy last-minute on Amazon to play with your family during the holidays Nordstrom’s ‘Half-Yearly Sale’ has massive end-of-year deals with up to 60% off UGG slippers, Tory Burch handbags, SKIMS & more Amazon has a lightning deal on the Bedsure heated blanket that over 30,000 shoppers bought this month Longchamp has a surprise winter sale happening now, and everything is going super fast Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com . Danielle Halibey can be reached at dhalibey@njadvancemedia.com . Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips .
Around 51 districts in India are at a “very high” risk of floods and another 118 are at “high” risk, whereas 91 districts are at a “very high’ risk of drought and 188 are at “high” risk, according to a new study by the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), and the Indian Institutes of Technology at Guwahati and Mandi. The study, supported by the Centre’s department of science and technology as well as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has found that 11 districts are at ”very high” risk of both flood and drought, including Patna in Bihar; Alappuzha in Kerala; Charaideo, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar, South Salmara-Mankachar, and Golaghat in Assam; Kendrapara in Odisha, and Murshidabad, Nadia, and Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal. “This study is an effort to integrate vulnerability assessment with proneness to two hazards: flood and drought, and exposure to these hazards, to gain a comprehensive understanding of risk, using the framework proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,” said the study report, titled District-Level Climate Risk Assessment for India: Mapping Flood and Drought Risks Using IPCC Framework . Unlike the concentrated flood hazard, the drought risk is spread more evenly across the country. Sixty-five districts under the very high drought-hazard category are located in 22 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Assam, Kerala, Nagaland and Chhattisgarh. The report not only considered the probability of occurrence of extreme weather events in these districts but also laid down what indices may be making them particularly vulnerable. The study’s findings underline two clear patterns: First, that flood and drought hazards are one of the driving forces behind the overall risk and two, such risk can be amplified even when the likelihood of such a hazard impacting is low, but there are chances of high exposure and the district is vulnerable. “For example, in some districts if the population is too low then the exposure will be lower and if the district has better coping mechanisms such as say irrigation (in case of drought hazard), crop insurance for farmers, more people taking up the 100 day work programme (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme) then those districts will be less vulnerable and hence not at high risk,” explained professor NH Ravindranath from the Indian Institute of Science who was advisor for the risk mapping project. The core team prepared indices for hazard, exposure and vulnerability to arrive at risk indices. The team consulted state level climate change cells to arrive at very localised information. “Unfortunately for many districts the team used census 2011 data which is old but a lot of more recent information between 2019 and 2021 was also used by the team to develop these indices,” added Ravindranath. An area is considered under the risk of drought hazard if precipitation systematically falls below the long-term average. The indicators of flood exposure are population density and the proportion of area under agriculture. Drought exposure is calculated based on population density and area under rainfed agriculture. Vulnerability is a system property. Its indicators are MPI, the proportion of marginal and small landholdings, yield variability of food grains, the composite MGNREGA index, the female literacy rate, forest area per 100 rural population, health infrastructure available per 100 square kilometres, the livestock-to-human ratio, the proportion of area under crop insurance, the proportion of net sown area under horticulture, and road density. For example, Patna (Bihar) and Majuli’s (Assam) flood risk indices are comparable. However, the profiles of these two districts are completely different in terms of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. While the flood hazard index is very high in Majuli, it is much lower in Patna. But Patna has very high exposure owing to dense population and high vulnerability. “The advice to districts at high risk of floods and droughts is to reduce their vulnerability. For example, Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh which is at high risk of drought should focus on agro-forestry, irrigation, organic or natural farming to improve soil health,” said Ravindranath. HT reported in January that more than half of India’s administrative units (or tehsils) saw an increase in monsoon rainfall in the 2012-22 decade over the 30-year, 1982-2011 baseline; 11%, all key agricultural hotspots saw a decline; and almost two-thirds witnessed an increase in the frequency of heavy rainfall. The results of the large-scale study, “Decoding India’s Changing Monsoon Patterns”, by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) , provide a granular picture of the changing and erratic monsoon patterns in India. According to the study, around 55% of India’s 4000-plus tehsils have witnessed an increase in monsoon rainfall in the past decade (2012-22) by at least 10%, compared to the climatic baseline (1982–2011). Most of this increase was recorded in the traditionally drier regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat, central Maharashtra, and parts of Tamil Nadu.
LCD With Modbus MCCB: Revolutionizing Circuit Protection 12-26-2024 05:34 PM CET | Industry, Real Estate & Construction Press release from: ABNewswire Innovation in the world of circuit protection never stops. The said breakthrough device in this modern age is the LCD with Modbus MCCB [ https://www.w9-group.com/lcd-with-modbus-mccb/ ]. Its expanded form stands for Molded Case Circuit Breaker. It is not just an ordinary circuit breaker. It is a device filled with intelligent technology that makes handling multiple electrical systems easy and efficient. Let's delve deep and understand in greater detail what will make the LCD with Modbus MCCB so pioneering for business and why you need to start thinking about upgrading your circuit protection systems sooner rather than later. Image: https://ecdn6.globalso.com/upload/p/1205/image_product/2024-11/1-41.png What is an MCCB? Let's start from the basics before focusing on the nitty-gritty details related to the LCD with Modbus MCCB. An MCCB is a short-form term for a molded case circuit breaker, an electrical protection device to protect electrical circuits from overcurrent, which may cause overload and short circuits. These breakers have become vital for safety in residential and industrial settings and overcoming or bypassing probable electrical hazards. The Evolution: LCD With Modbus MCCB [ https://www.w9-group.com/lcd-with-modbus-mccb/ ] Think about your regular old MCCB, only this time with built-in LCD screens and the ability to communicate over Modbus. That's what an LCD with Modbus MCCB offers. It is much more than a circuit breaker; this smart device can affect real-time monitoring, controlling, and even data communication. Image: https://ecdn6.globalso.com/upload/p/1205/image_product/2024-11/2-37.png Image: https://ecdn6.globalso.com/upload/p/1205/image_product/2024-11/3-16.png Key Features of LCD With Modbus MCCB Some of the key features include: 1. Real-Time Monitoring The MCCB has an LCD screen that gives information on online current, voltage, and power consumption. Instant feedback will be enhanced so that a decision support system can immediately resolve any possible problem. Business-wise, it's more efficient and has lower downtime. 2. Better Communication with Modbus Modbus is a well-known communication protocol in the industrial environment for sending data on serial lines. Annotated with Modbus capability, an MCCB can interface with the other devices in the network for central monitoring and control. The function stands truly advantageous for heavy or large-scale operations in which manual control of several breakers gets muddled. 3. Higher Levels of Safety and Reliability The Modbus MCCB with LCD will ensure an extremely high level of safety through immediate, detailed information and early warning regarding any potential problem. This proactive way of acting can potentially save any electrical failures, securing, in effect, a high level of reliability for the total electric system. For businesses, this translates to protecting valuable equipment and ensuring uninterrupted operations. 4. Ease of Installation and Maintenance Quite intuitive, enriched with many guidelines, and with many sophisticated functionalities, this is the interface that an LCD with Modbus MCCB offers. Real-time diagnostics with the required alerts guarantee the system is efficiently run under routine maintenance, ensuring it is in good condition. Why Your Business Needs LCD With Modbus MCCB The reasons your business require LCD with Modbus MCCB include the following: Raise Operational Efficiency Real-time monitoring and data communication allow you to run your electrical system optimally. Quick detection and response to problems provide a significant level of prevention of downtimes, hence facilitating operations with a productivity increase. Price Savings Investing in LCDs with Modbus MCCB will save costs in the long term. In doing so, incidences of electric failure will drastically reduce, keeping you on repairs and limiting electricity bills. Advanced diagnostics further ensure the longevity of your power assets. Scalability and Flexibility As a business person, one clearly understands that the demand for electrical power increases for a business to grow. LCD Modbus MCCB is the epitome of scalability and flexibility all rolled into one, making expanding an electrical system in an industry much more straightforward. Simple integration with the existing systems through the Modbus communication protocol will make this solution smart nowadays and save you from all the potential risks for your business. Improved Control and Automation With Modbus communication, the MCCB can be added to other smart devices and systems for advanced automation and control. It will facilitate remote surveillance and provide improved control over your electrical infrastructure, efficiently enhancing your life through developed operability. Real-World Applications Let us look at some practical usages of LCD with Modbus MCCB: * Industrial Plants: In industry, it costs a lot when lines go down. Real-time monitoring and communication by an LCD with Modbus MCCB help forestall unexpected shutdowns to achieve continuous operation and safety. * Commercial Buildings: In commercial buildings, energy optimization is effective, along with early warning of some problems likely to arise through the use of LCD and Modbus MCCB. Hence, facilities should practice a safe and efficient working environment for their users. * Data Centers: There is only one vastly essential power requirement for data centers: continuous and power systems, where the enriched functionality in the LCD with Modbus MCCB constantly monitors, faults are addressed automatically, and data and infrastructure are secure. The Bottom Line The Modbus MCCB is an LCD-based circuit protection device and probably one of the most significant advancements in circuit protection technology. Improved by real-time monitoring, fine-tuned communication, safety features, and user-friendliness, it will perfectly match businesses looking to upgrade their electrical systems. You'll be able to improve operational efficiency, save money, ensure the safety of your electrical infrastructure, and enjoy reliable service-all through investment in this intelligent technology. Want to take your circuit protection to the next level? Learn more about the LCD with Modbus MCCB [ https://www.w9-group.com/lcd-with-modbus-mccb/ ] today and explore how this may dramatically change how you run your business operations. Media Contact Company Name: W9 group Technology Electronic Co,. Ltd. Email:Send Email [ https://www.abnewswire.com/email_contact_us.php?pr=lcd-with-modbus-mccb-revolutionizing-circuit-protection ] Phone: +8615906878798 Address:No. 36, Punan Second Road, Yueqing Economic Development Zone City: Wenzhou State: Zhejiang Country: China Website: https://www.w9-group.com/ This release was published on openPR.This is the busiest time of year for returning holiday gifts. Retailers from Amazon to L.L. Bean have adopted a range of return policies. Most shoppers consider whether they can make free returns when deciding where to shop. That unwanted kitchen gadget or too-big sweater someone gave you over the holidays represents a growing problem for retailers. Advertisement With the holiday shopping season over, retailers now face return requests from customers at the fastest pace of the year. The days between December 26 and 28 are the busiest for returns, with up to three times more than usual, payments platform Lightspeed Commerce found in a review of returns data collected over the last two years. The amount of stuff that gets returned has been growing each year, too. Advertisement Marcus Shen, the CEO of B-Stock, which resells returned items and other excess merchandise, told Business Insider that his company has seen the volume of returns that it processes grow over the last few years. Some of the most-returned items include clothing, electronics, and toys, Shen said. The share of goods returned to retailers is expected to reach almost 17% and be worth $890 billion this year, a report from the National Retail Federation, or NRF, found earlier this month. In 2019, it was about 8%. The growth of e-commerce — and easy return policies at many retailers — has contributed to that explosion of returns, Shen said. Some shoppers even plan on making returns from the start with strategies like bracketing , which is buying multiple sizes or colors of an item with the intent to keep just one and return the others. Advertisement "I think that a lot of these very consumer-friendly policies are really a big driver here," Shen said. Returns represent extra costs for the stores that handle them, whether it's the cost of shipping or marking down the price of the returned item when reselling it. Many companies try to trim the costs of returns by offering customers incentives to use less costly methods. Earlier this year, for example, Amazon offered customers discounts on groceries if they stopped by an Amazon Fresh store to make a return. Advertisement Many retailers offer at least one free way to return a purchase, which often involves customers dropping their return off at a store or other physical location. That usually saves the retailer the cost of shipping the item from a customer's home to a processing center. Many have also added incentives — or penalties — meant to steer customers toward those options. Outdoor retailer REI, for instance, recently banned some customers who made frequent returns from doing so in the future. The action targeted a group of customers that had an average return rate of 79% on purchases, REI told ABC in November. Advertisement Amazon took a different approach with one of its policies, which tries to preempt returns entirely by letting shoppers on its website know when a product is frequently returned . Other companies, such as L.L. Bean and GameStop, assess a fee of less than $10 in order to mail something back to them. "Retailers are responding by investing in a variety of innovative returns options," the NRF said in its report. "But, at the same time, they are facing growing costs for managing and processing returns." Advertisement The NRF's report found that 76% of shoppers decide where to shop based on whether the retailer offers free returns. "Given the priority shoppers place on free returns, retailers have to walk a fine line in implementing these policies," the NRF said in its report. At the same time, retailers are paying more attention to controlling the costs of processing returns, Shen told BI. Advertisement Getting merchandise back to retailers is only part of the challenge: Once a retailer has the item, it has to decide whether to write it off completely or resell it at a discount, either to its own customers or through companies like Shen's. "It's cash that's sitting on the floor of a warehouse," he said.
Top four reasons the Democrats are failing
( MENAFN - IANS) Jaipur, Dec 28 (IANS) The Rajasthan government on Friday released an advisory on 'Deepfakes' to spread awareness among individuals and organisations about the associated threats and possible ways of prevention. The advisory focuses on threats and countermeasures to ensure effective cyber hygiene and security among the general public at the ground level. The identified target audience or potential beneficiaries, according to the advisory, include both individuals as well as organisations. The advisory was issued in consonance with the cyber security measures or actionable points determined during the third National Conference of Chief Secretaries under the theme "Cyber Security: Emerging Challenges". The advisory explained Deepfake technology as an application of Artificial Intelligence in the manipulation of videos, images and even audio. The major risks associated with Deepfake technology are the spread of misinformation, fraud or scams and reputational damage. Both positive and negative applications of Deepfakes have been identified by the advisory. While positive applications can be seen in the generation of special effects in movies and engaging or interactive educational content, there are numerous negative uses as well. There is a risk of financial fraud through impersonation, disinformation to manipulate public opinion, along with emotional and financial extortion through non-consensual explicit content. The concerned advisory also highlights certain preventive steps which can be referred to by both individuals and organisations to avoid mishaps caused by Deepfake technology and its negative applications. Individuals and organisations are advised to do cross-referencing for every information and exercise extreme caution in case of personal information. Certain measures like Multi-Factor Authentication or MFA, strong privacy settings, verification protocols, and consistent security audits can aid the general public in combating the ill effects of Deepfake technology. On an individual level, the general public is advised to be cautious while sharing any information in the digital space. It is advised to assess the authenticity of the source of concerned information. The concerned advisory also provided certain preventive measures meant specifically for organisations. For organisations dealing with large amounts of company and customer data, it is advised to make use of MFA to ensure secure use, storage and transfer of data. Organisations are also advised to undertake security audits at regular intervals along with the usage of encrypted modes of communication. The advisory also suggests the formulation of crisis management plans in case of any mishap. For further assistance and information, the advisory is available for reference to the general public. MENAFN27122024000231011071ID1109035807 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A jetliner skidded off a runway, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames Sunday in South Korea after its landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people aboard were killed in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters, officials said. The 737-800 operated by Jeju Air plane arrived from Bangkok and crashed while attempting to land in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Seoul. Footage of the crash aired by South Korean television channels showed the plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed, evidently with its landing gear still closed, and slamming into the wall, triggering an explosion and generating plumes of thick, black smoke. The crash killed 179 people, the South Korean fire agency said. Emergency workers pulled two crew members, to safety. They were conscious and did not appear to have any life-threatening injuries, health officials said. Lee Jeong-hyeon, chief of the Muan fire station, told a televised briefing that the plane was completely destroyed, with only the tail assembly still recognizable in the wreckage. Officials were investigating the cause of the crash, including whether the aircraft was struck by birds, Lee said. The control tower issued a warning about birds to the plane shortly before it intended to land and gave the crew permission to land in a different area, ministry officials said. The crew sent out a distress signal shortly before the crash, officials said. Senior Transport Ministry official Joo Jong-wan said workers retrieved the jet's flight data and cockpit voice recorders. He said it may take months for investigators to complete their probe. The runway at the Muan airport will be closed until Jan. 1, the ministry said. Video of the crash indicated that the pilots did not deploy flaps or slats to slow the aircraft, suggesting a possible hydraulic failure, and they did not manually lower the landing gear, suggesting they did not have time, said John Cox, a retired airline pilot and CEO of Safety Operating Systems in St. Petersburg, Florida. Despite that, the jetliner was under control and traveling in a straight line, and damage and injuries likely would have been minimized if not for a barrier being placed so close to the runway, Cox said. Another aviation expert said videos showed the aircraft had used up much of the runway before touching down. With little braking ability, the aircraft skidded atop its engine cowlings, said Ross “Rusty” Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts. “It's basically like skidding on ice,” he said. The Boeing 737-800 is a "proven airplane" that belongs to a different class of aircraft than the Boeing 737 Max jetliner that was linked to fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, added Alan Price, a former chief pilot at Delta Air Lines and now a consultant. More than 4,500 of the planes are in service around the world, according to the aviation analytics company Cirium. One of the survivors was being treated for fractures to his ribs, shoulder blade and upper spine, said Ju Woong, director of the Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital. Ju said the man, whose name was not released, told doctors he “woke up to find (himself) rescued.” Details on the other survivor were not immediately available. The passengers were predominantly South Korean and included two people from Thailand. Officials identified 88 of them in the hours after the crash, the fire agency said. Thailand’s prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, expressed condolences to the families of those aboard the plane in a post on X. Paetongtarn said she ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance. Boonchuay Duangmanee, the father of a Thai passenger, told The Associated Press that his daughter, Jongluk, had been working in a factory in South Korea for several years and returned to Thailand to visit her family. "I never thought that this would be the last time we would see each other forever,” he said. Kerati Kijmanawat, the director of Thailand's airports, confirmed in a statement that Jeju Air flight 7C 2216 departed from Suvarnabhumi Airport with no reports of anything abnormal aboard the aircraft or on the runway. Jeju Air in a statement expressed its “deep apology” over the crash and said it will do its “utmost to manage the aftermath of the accident.” In a televised news conference, the company's president, Kim E-bae, bowed deeply with other senior company officials as he apologized to bereaved families and said he feels “full responsibility” for the crash. He said the company had not identified any mechanical problems with the aircraft following regular checkups and that he would wait for the results of government investigations. Family members wailed as officials announced the names of some victims at a lounge in the Muan airport. Boeing said in a statement on X that it was in contact with Jeju Air and was ready to support the company in dealing with the crash. The crash happened as South Korea is embroiled in a political crisis triggered by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s stunning imposition of martial law and ensuing impeachment . South Korean lawmakers on Friday impeached acting President Han Duck-soo and suspended his duties, leading Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok to take over. Choi, who traveled to the site in Muan, called for officials to use all available resources to identify the dead as soon as possible. The government declared Muan a special disaster zone and designated a weeklong national mourning period. Yoon’s office said his chief secretary, Chung Jin-suk, presided over an emergency meeting between senior presidential staff to discuss the crash and reported the details to Choi. Yoon expressed condolences to the victims in a Facebook post. In Rome’s St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis said he joined in “prayer for the survivors and the dead.” The Muan crash is one of the deadliest disasters in South Korea’s aviation history. The last time South Korea suffered a large-scale air disaster was in 1997, when a Korean Airline plane crashed in Guam, killing 228 people on board. In 2013, an Asiana Airlines plane crash-landed in San Francisco, killing three and injuring about 200. Sunday’s accident was also one of the worst landing disasters since a July 2007 crash that killed all 187 people on board and 12 others on the ground when an Airbus A320 slid off a slick airstrip in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and hit a nearby building, according to data compiled by the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit group aimed at improving air safety. In 2010, 158 people died when an Air India Express aircraft overshot a runway in Mangalore, India, and plummeted into a gorge before erupting into flames, according to the safety foundation. Associated Press journalists David Sharp in Portland, Maine; Paul Wiseman in Washington; Bobby Caina Calvan in New York; Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok; Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo; and Giada Zampano in Rome contributed to this report.Cooking up trouble
New 2025 laws hit hot topics from AI in movies to rapid-fire gunsNEW DELHI -- India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as the architect of India’s economic reform program and a landmark nuclear deal with the United States, has died. He was 92. Singh was admitted to New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences late Thursday after his health deteriorated due to a “sudden loss of consciousness at home,” the hospital said in a statement. “Resuscitative measures were started immediately at home. He was brought to the Medical Emergency” at 8:06 p.m., the hospital said, but “despite all efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 9:51 PM.” Singh was being treated for “age-related medical conditions,” the statement said. A mild-mannered technocrat, Singh became one of India’s longest-serving prime ministers for 10 years and leader of the Congress Party in the Parliament's Upper House, earning a reputation as a man of great personal integrity. He was chosen to fill the role in 2004 by Sonia Gandhi, the widow of assassinated Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. But his sterling image was tainted by allegations of corruption against his ministers. Singh was reelected in 2009, but his second term as prime minister was clouded by financial scandals and corruption charges over the organization of the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This led to the Congress Party’s crushing defeat in the 2014 national election by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Singh adopted a low profile after relinquishing the post of prime minister. Prime Minister Modi, who succeeded Singh in 2014, called him one of India’s “most distinguished leaders” who rose from humble origins and left “a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years.” “As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people’s lives,” Modi said in a post on social platform X. He called Singh’s interventions in Parliament as a lawmaker “insightful” and said “his wisdom and humility were always visible.” Rahul Gandhi, from the same party as Singh and the opposition leader in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, said Singh’s “deep understanding of economics inspired the nation” and that he “led India with immense wisdom and integrity.” “I have lost a mentor and guide. Millions of us who admired him will remember him with the utmost pride,” Gandhi wrote on X. Born on Sept. 26, 1932, in a village in the Punjab province of undivided India, Singh’s brilliant academic career took him to Cambridge University in Britain, where he earned a degree in economics in 1957. He then got his doctorate in economics from Nuffield College at Oxford University in 1962. Singh taught at Panjab University and the prestigious Delhi School of Economics before joining the Indian government in 1971 as economic advisor in the Commerce Ministry. In 1982, he became chief economic adviser to the Finance Ministry. He also served as deputy chair of the Planning Commission and governor of the Reserve Bank of India. As finance minister, Singh in 1991 instituted reforms that opened up the economy and moved India away from a socialist-patterned economy and toward a capitalist model in the face of a huge balance of payments deficit, skirting a potential economic crisis. His accolades include the 1987 Padma Vibhushan Award, India’s second-highest civilian honor; the Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award of the Indian Science Congress in 1995; and the Asia Money Award for Finance Minister of the Year in 1993 and 1994. Singh was a member of India’s Upper House of Parliament and was leader of the opposition from 1998 to 2004 before he was named prime minister. He was the first Sikh to hold the country’s top post and made a public apology in Parliament for the 1984 Sikh Massacre in which some 3,000 Sikhs were killed after then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh bodyguards. Under Singh, India adopted a Right to Information Act in 2005 to promote accountability and transparency from government officials and bureaucrats. He was also instrumental in implementing a welfare scheme that guaranteed at least 100 paid workdays for Indian rural citizens. The coalition government he headed for a decade brought together politicians and parties with differing ideologies that were rivals in the country’s various states. In a move hailed as one of his biggest achievements apart from economic reforms, Singh ended India’s nuclear isolation by signing a deal with the U.S. that gave India access to American nuclear technology. But the deal hit his government adversely, with Communist allies withdrawing support and criticism of the agreement growing within India in 2008 when it was finalized. Singh adopted a pragmatic foreign policy approach, pursuing a peace process with nuclear rival and neighbor Pakistan. But his efforts suffered a major setback after Pakistani militants carried out a massive gun and bomb attack in Mumbai in November 2008. He also tried to end the border dispute with China, brokering a deal to reopen the Nathu La pass into Tibet, which had been closed for more than 40 years. His 1965 book, “India’s Export Trends and Prospects for Self-Sustained Growth,” dealt with India’s inward-oriented trade policy. Singh is survived by his wife Gursharan Kaur and three daughters. ____ Associated Press Writer Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi contributed to this report.
Sometimes in this wild life you stumble upon a rabbit hole that ends up being more like a vast chasm. Such is the state of interest and appreciation for the world of carbon steel pans. One might think this humble node of cookery might be overlooked in favor of heritage-credited cast iron, utilitarian nonstick, or trending hexagon hybrid pan technologies. You would be wrong; carbon steel is no also-ran, no runner-up. There is an intense, rabid fandom for this style of cookware that shocked even me, and I write about, like, mineral water influencers. From a busy subreddit to a secret world of obsessive home and professional chefs to in-demand artisan carbon steel craftsmen who sell their... Jordan MichelmanW hen MSNBC’s morning hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski announced to their viewers last week that they had paid a visit to Donald Trump at his Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago they must have suspected there would be a reaction. The married co-hosts on the liberal news network made hay for years lambasting Trump, especially in the run-up to the presidential election. Now, in the wake of his victory, they told their viewers they were seeking to reset communications with the man they had warned only a few weeks ago was set to bring fascism to America. “Joe and I realized it’s time to do something different,’ Brzezinski told Morning Joe viewers on Monday. “That starts with not only talking about Donald Trump but also talking with him.” Their reward? An online barn-burning by their critics online and a fall in viewer numbers for a show – and a network – already struggling in a rapidly declining US cable news sector. The following morning, broadcast viewing figures for the network plummeted 38%, according to Nielsen Media Research. Yet Scarborough and Brzezinski’s about-face is just one data point in the US media landscape that shows that some core elements of the press in America may be recalibrating its approach to how it covers the second Trump administration and where the all-in oppositional attitude that defined much of the press in his first term is in retreat. Yet the moves come after an election campaign in which Trump frequently attacked the media and dubbed them “enemies of the people”. It comes as his allies have threatened to curb the press and attack their media critics. They have also already launched a wave of multibillion-dollar lawsuits against a host of media companies for their coverage that they often baselessly claim to be bias, such as Trump’s allegation that CBS misleadingly edited an interview with Kamala Harris. Certainly those threats seemed to be at play with MSNBC , which is now also facing an uncertain future as the network is being spun off by its corporate parent, Comcast. A subsequent sale would come under the purview of Trump-appointed regulators. According to Puck News, the couple’s visit to Trump’s tropical paradise was because Scarborough was said to be “petrified” that the president-elect’s Department of Justice would go after him. “That’s what this was about,” a source told the news site about the motive. “It has nothing to do with ratings or Comcast. It’s all about fear of retribution and investigation.” “It was about access and power,” said Jeff Jarvis, a media writer. “But this visit didn’t do anything for access, and they didn’t come back with anything journalistic. They were willing to throw the reputation of the show, their reputations and the reputation of the network over for their own personal fears.” But MSNBC is not alone in facing tough choices. The US media are facing numerous issues: fears over what Trump might do, complex business decisions and interests faced by their corporate owners, and also an understanding that the president-elect won the popular vote, showing that their audiences exist beyond the safe havens of Trump criticism. But these are choppy waters. The Washington Post, famed for bringing down Richard Nixon, has been the focus of controversy under its billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos , and the British journalist, Will Lewis, he has tasked with running the once-storied brand. The Washington Post lost 250,000 subscribers after it declined to make a presidential endorsement. Bezos defended the decision , triggering suspicion that Amazon’s role as a defense industry data cloud contractor had played a part. But since Trump won, Lewis has not changed tack and a longstanding and widely respected political editor at the paper was reportedly removed from his job last week. The Post’s controversy has played at the same time as the Los Angeles Times made a similar call to block an endorsement of Kamala Harris , also triggering widespread dismay in the newsroom and a questioning of how critical of Trump the newspaper would continue to be. The Los Angeles Times’ billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, framed the matter as an attempt at neutrality, though his activist daughter Nika Soon-Shiong also said the decision was informed by Harris’s continued support for Israel as it wars in Gaza – which he later confirmed in an internal email . After years of anti-Trump coverage under Jeff Zucker, CNN is also effecting course-correction. Last week, the cable news giant’s Dana Bash said it was unclear whether a group of men carrying swastika flags marching in Columbus, Ohio, belonged to the far right or far left. “A group of neo-Nazis paraded through that city wearing, waving swastikas, covering their faces,” Bash said. “We don’t know what side of the aisle this comes from. I mean, typically neo-Nazis are from the far right.” The statement immediately attracted ridicule for its seemingly bizarre attempt at neutrality. Sign up to The Stakes — Presidential Transition We will guide you through the aftermath of the US election and the transition to a Trump presidency after newsletter promotion Some at the New York Times, too, are offering a more ameliorated tone than under the first Trump administration , even as the paper has continued to break stories on Trump’s preparations to return to power. The columnist David Brooks advocated soon after the election that Trump is a “sower of chaos, not fascism”, adding: “In chaos there’s opportunity for a new society and a new response to the Trumpian political, economic and psychological assault.” It is certainly a complex challenge. The media’s symbiotic relationship with Trump was both nurturing and self-destructive the first time around as readerships boomed, but a significant chunk of the population – the chunk that delivered Trump back into the White House – became even more hostile to the mainstream media and embraced the idea it was “fake news”. The news industry in the US, with a few exceptions, is on life support as audiences fracture and social media traffic referrals dry up. Social media is more trusted by the public, and the press is now facing a second hostile Trump administration with diminished resources. But would a more restrained approach work? Would it attract readers previously hostile to the media, and would it blunt any attacks from the Trump administration? Some are skeptical. “You’re trying to pursue readers you’ll never have and in the process pissing off the readers you do have,” Jarvis, the media writer, said of outlets playing it safe on Trump. “That’s the paradox – mass media still believes in the mass media. The challenge for journalism now is for people to feel heard and a separation from the power structures of politics and money.” The only network firmly in a good place appears to be rightwing Fox News , which dominated 24-hour news broadcasting through the election cycle and seems confident of its identity as America returns to life under a Trump presidency. Fox News finished the week of 11-17 November with its highest share of the cable news audience in the network’s 28-year history across multiple categories, while MSNBC saw its lowest-rated week in quarter of a century. For some observers, all this makes for worrying times ahead as America confronts a president with openly autocratic sympathies and a radical rightwing agenda. “The press is going to find itself in an existential battle for its own integrity if it does not decide to confront and challenge Trump top to bottom. There’s no way a truly free press can be neutral about lies and broken civic norms and survive,” said Jim Sleeper, author and retired lecturer in political science at Yale University. “If the populace has decided to trade in its freedom and rights for stability and security that authoritarians always promise, then the press has to make a choice and decide that honest journalists are dissidents.”
AP News Summary at 2:00 p.m. EST
Manmohan Singh, India's reluctant prime minister, dies
Growing up as a Mexican Canadian, I often found myself between two worlds and two families. The first was in my hometown of Montreal, Canada, where I’d go to school, work a part-time job, and socialize for eleven and a half months of the year. I’d be around other Canadians who had a similar family environment, even if most of us originated from different ethnic backgrounds. But in the last two weeks of each year, my mother would take me and my brother to see my grandmother in Mexico City . There, I’d be met with a different set of house rules and cultural norms I didn’t get from my Canadian side. Here’s what I learned about the differences between Mexican and Canadian families: Whenever I land in Mexico, I get a call from my grandmother asking when I’d be at the house. Once I knock on the door, there’s always an uncle, aunt, or cousin who just “happened to be in the area” ready to greet me, catch up, and then take me out for tacos somewhere. Mexicans seem to have an almost permanent open door policy when it comes to family members, close friends and neighbors, which makes it nearly impossible to get any privacy if you’re an ambivert like myself who sometimes needs to recharge his social batteries. Want to check out a new taqueria? Your cousins have probably gone before and are happy to take you there. Want to watch something on TV? Your grandmother, parents, and some aunts and uncles will ask you what show and sit next to you on the couch. If I decide to write an article by myself at a café in Roma Norte, somehow a family member will find out and ask why I didn’t invite anyone to tag along. On the other hand, I usually don’t see most of my extended Canadian family often unless it’s a holiday period. During the normal mundane days of the year, Canadians will focus their attention on work responsibilities and feel comfortable watching Netflix alone or sitting in a café with a laptop and headphones. Chances are, not many relatives from my Canadian side will know exactly what I did throughout the year unless I posted constantly on social media and went viral. The difference between what I experienced in Mexico is stark. But Mexicans also love chisme , so I like to joke that it’s one reason why they’re a lot closer than Canadians. What’s the point of having an uncle who got ripped off at a flea market or a second cousin who got engaged if you can’t find out and go over every little detail, right? It’s not uncommon in my Canadian household and in many others that I’ve encountered to find everyone in the family dynamic eating in separate rooms. Maybe the mother eats in the kitchen with her phone open, the father eats in front of the television because there’s a hockey or football game and the children eat in their bedrooms. Different work schedules and fast food options also tend to affect the lost family tradition of gathering around the dinner table. I’ve had days when I’d finish work at 5:00 p.m. but get a quick poutine at a nearby restaurant because I knew I wouldn’t be home until around 8:00 p.m. due to rush hour traffic in the metro and highway. If you are around Montreal on a weekday, you’ll see restaurants filled with people having an early dinner with colleagues or by themselves. You’ll rarely see them with their immediate or extended families. But with my Mexican family, I’ve noticed there’s more importance on making time for good food, conversation and quality time with loved ones. You can’t get away with taking a plate into your room to eat and watch YouTube videos alone on your bed. In Mexico, making someone a meal and sharing food is how we show and express gratitude. It’s how we foster strong connections that go beyond the culinary delights. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday in particular, my Mexican side has made it an obligation to make time for family dinners no matter what’s happening in our lives. As I’ve travelled and befriended other Mexicans, I’ve noticed the heart of their family is also at the dinner table. It’s wholesome, universal, and something I wish we had more of in Canada. Mexican people work hard. But we do so in order to live — we don’t live to work like in Canada. If you’re with family at a wedding, a ten-year-old’s birthday party, or celebrating a religious holiday or family milestone, your family expects you to be present for those special occasions, not thinking about replying to an email or your Monday workload. If I can’t make it to a cousin’s wedding in Canada, all I have to do is explain why and wish them the best. If we’re really close, I promise to make up for it with a nice dinner, and often that’s more than enough. But when I couldn’t attend my Mexican cousin María’s wedding five years ago, the questions I got were relentless and almost dramatic. “What are you doing that’s more important?” my aunt texted me on WhatsApp. “You grew up together. She loves you, and so do we. Please, come! Explain to your boss.” I can go on, but you get the idea. Other than the dinner table, life events within a Mexican family are crucial to nourish relationships. When I went to another Mexican family wedding two years ago, we partied literally all night, took lots of photos, and danced nonstop — quite the difference from Canadian events. It’s another way to show love in Mexican culture. Keeping up appearances matters because it demonstrates that you care. It’s fair to say Mexican families are full of personalities, core values, little dramas, and endless affection for those they love. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. If my thoughts on Mexican and Canadian families struck a chord with you, or if you have a similar bicultural experience, why not let us know in the comments? Ian Ostroff is an indie author, journalist, and copywriter from Montreal, Canada. You can find his work in various outlets, including Map Happy and The Suburban. When he’s not writing, you can find Ian at the gym, a café, or anywhere within Mexico visiting family and friends.
