
For anyone browsing the internet, finding what you need has become increasingly difficult. Social media platforms now prioritize algorithm-driven content over posts from friends. Search engines start with sponsored ads, making it harder to find relevant results. And the list goes on. In 2022, a term captured the growing frustration with finding what you need: "enshittification." Coined by Cory Doctorow, a Canadian tech critic, it describes how platforms increasingly prioritize profits over the interests of users and business customers, making the internet harder to navigate. The term has been crowned 2024's word of the year by Australia's oldest dictionary of Australian English. Macquarie Dictionary's committee praised the word for its resonance and humor. "This word captures what many of us feel is happening to the world and to so many aspects of our lives," the panel said. The public echoed this sentiment, selecting "enshittification" as their favorite among a shortlist that included "right to disconnect" and "rawdogging." The word's rise highlights the public's dissatisfaction with major platforms like Facebook , X (formerly Twitter ), Instagram and Google , which have shifted from offering user-focused experiences to serving ad-heavy and algorithm-driven content. As Doctorow described it last year, the term has a three-stage process. First, platforms attract users with quality services. Next, they exploit that user base to appeal to business customers. Finally, they extract as much value as possible from both groups, often causing the system to collapse. "We're all living through the enshittocene," Doctorow said in a 2023 lecture, describing the widespread decline of platforms on which people once relied. While the word points to systemic issues, Doctorow is optimistic about the potential for reform. He has called for stronger regulations, more competition and increased user control over platforms. "Everyone has a stake in disenshittification," he said, emphasizing the importance of reversing harmful trends in the digital economy. Doctorow also identifies a fourth stage in the decline of tech platforms: from serving users, to exploiting them for customers, to exploiting customers for their own gain. "Then they die," he wrote. Macquarie Dictionary chose "cozzie livs"—a play on "cost of living"—as its word of 2023.
NoneBy ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the Jan. 6, 2021 , U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators “at any level” for “the assault on our democracy.” That bold declaration won’t apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Monday to abandon the federal election interference case against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate classified documents case against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department’s unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump’s political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. “We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don’t think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. “If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that’s Donald Trump.” While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump’s presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his conviction on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money case , but it’s possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith’s team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Trump’s presidential victory set “at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. “If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison,” Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. “These prosecutions were always political. Now it’s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again.” After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans who voted to acquit Trump during his Senate impeachment trial said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump’s 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as “a tool” in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump’s argument that he enjoyed absolute immunity from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution , and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could get a chance to do so. Related Articles National Politics | After delay, Trump signs agreement with Biden White House to begin formal transition handoff National Politics | Rudy Giuliani in a courtroom outburst accuses judge in assets case of being unfair, drawing a rebuke National Politics | Surveillance tech advances by Biden could aid in Trump’s promised crackdown on immigration National Politics | Expecting challenges, blue states vow to create ‘firewall’ of abortion protections National Politics | Washington power has shifted. Here’s how the ACA may shift, too The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of improperly storing at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon “plan of attack” and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July on grounds that Smith was illegally appointed . Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith’s team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump’s two co-defendants because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term, while Trump’s lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed.
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SINGAPORE: It is a battle watched by a ballroom of hundreds, streamed to an audience of millions, and fought by two men representing two nations of billions. One is a young star, an 18-year-old who has shot to prominence. The other is a familiar face about a decade his senior. In a room measuring 10m by 7m by 2.7m, the champion takes on the challenger. Over the next few hours on Tuesday (Nov 26), the contest unfolds. They cross their arms, furrow their brows and shift in their seats. The crowd ebbs and flows but two men pay little heed. “Silence please” urge the placards held by volunteers, not that noise would have much effect anyway. Separated from the crowd by one-way mirror, the duo are oblivious to anything but the pieces in front of them. Welcome to the World Chess Championship. CHESS IN THE "VEINS AND ARTERIES" Taking place between Nov 20 and Dec 15 at Equarius Hotel in Resorts World Sentosa, the tournament is being held in Singapore for the first time. It pits the world champion, China’s 31-year-old grandmaster Ding Liren, against India's 18-year-old grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju. The FIDE World Championship match is held every two years. It features the defending world champion and a challenger, chosen through a qualification process culminating in the Candidates Tournament, which includes eight of the world's top players. Ding and Gukesh, the youngest challenger in championship history, will vie for the crown over a best-of-14 format. The pair have met three times, with Ding beating his Indian opponent twice and drawing once. And it was the Chinese player who took the first game on Monday. It is a contest that has attracted fans from all over the world. Mr Mohit Bhagwati and his family had planned their holiday around the tournament. But after failing to secure tickets for day one, they decided to push back their return flight. “Gukesh is representing our country. He’s the pride of our country. We are rooting for him, so we’ve come all the way to support him,” said the 36-year-old attending the event with his 7-year-old son Nakshatra. “Chess is running in the veins and arteries of all the children in our country right now, thanks to Gukesh and Vishy Anand.” Viswanathan 'Vishy' Anand is an Indian chess grandmaster, and a five-time world champion. "We were heartbroken (by the result on day one)," said Mr Mohit. "We'll only go once he wins!" In Singapore for a quick stopover after a business trip, Malaysian Kenneth Lim took the chance to catch his first international chess meet. "I haven't played (competitively) in more than ten years, so this is mostly opportunistic," he said. "How often do you get the chance to see a (World) Chess Championship, or any form of championship? So this was a good opportunity." A TREAT FOR SOME For local chess aficionados, the multi-day event is an opportunity like no other. “I was quite surprised that they put in a bid but it was a pleasant surprise. It’s good that the Singapore Chess Federation (SCF) has initiated this,” said 48-year-old Martin Lee. “It’s really superb. I’m very proud of Singapore,” said Mr Lee’s wife, Ms Pan Yilin. “It’s a treat for them to come here and it’s a treat for us to have them here as well.” The pair, who purchased tickets for Tuesday and Wednesday, said that they were looking forward to meeting chess legends in the flesh. Although not a chess player himself, Mr Jek Lim bought two tickets for him and his 10-year-old son Evan. Accompanying them were two of his son's classmates and their fathers. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience that doesn't happen so often, so it's good to get them immersed in the environment and watch the ... players play," he said. This is only the second time in the championship's 138-year history that it has been held in Southeast Asia, with the first being in Baguio, Philippines, in 1978. SCF chief executive Kelvin Goh said interest in the event had gone "way beyond" his expectations. Some fans arrived four hours ahead of time on the opening day, which experienced a full house of 400, Mr Goh told CNA. "Everyone is excited because nobody knows what to expect. Many chess fans have never attended a World Chess Championship in person ... People wanted to come and see what it was like." "It (day one) was better than I expected ... It was pretty overwhelming, I have to say," International Chess Federation (FIDE) CEO Emil Sutovsky told CNA. "I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people coming. That shows that the choice of the match (location) can have a longer positive impact in the aftermath of the event." Tickets for the weekends, like the opening day, are sold out. For the rest of the days, between 80 to 90 per cent of the tickets have been snapped up, Mr Goh estimated. Aside from the main event, the venue also boasts a fan zone where attendees can watch the match, play chess and interact with various renowned players. "Everyone is just enjoying the game," said Mr Goh. Tuesday's contest petered out into a draw, with Ding and Gukesh shaking hands to end the evening's proceedings. But there are more days to come, more moves to be made, and for ardent chess fans, more to look forward to.
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There was a time not all that long ago when the United States would be seeking clearly to drive and define a particular narrative and outcome for the events unfolding in the Middle East. Seeking to mould events to its own benefit has been a central tenet of American foreign policy. But the remarkable and fast-moving developments in Syria, come at an unusual moment for America. Syria latest: Rebels expand control In Washington DC, there is a vacuum of leadership. We are in the midst of the transition between President Joe Biden and president-elect Donald Trump . President Biden is still running things at the White House but his ability to influence events in the Middle East, if he is even inclined to, has been shown to be limited. He is the lamest of lame duck presidents. More on Donald Trump Donald Trump says Prince William 'doing a fantastic job' as they meet for a second time in Paris this evening Prince William to meet Donald Trump in Paris ahead of Notre-Dame reopening Diplomatic opportunities at cathedral reopening as Trump set to meet Macron and Zelenskyy Related Topics: Donald Trump Joe Biden Syria Mr Trump does not become president until 20 January and so is unable officially to do anything. And yet he is already THE leading player on the world stage right now. What he does (and doesn't do) and what he says (and doesn't say) carries enormous weight. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player His presence in Paris this weekend - invited by President Emmanuel Macron - is as important as it is remarkable. I can't think of a precedent; a moment in recent history where a president-elect would hold such influence. Of the events in Syria, the Biden White House has said only that the administration is closely monitoring developments. Donald Trump however, on social media, on brand, has declared his hand. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player " Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!" he wrote. On President Bashar al Assad's fate, his words were only marginally ambiguous. It "may actually be the best thing" for Mr Assad to be toppled, he said. Read more: Rebel forces 'reach Damascus suburbs' Insurgents close in on Homs Follow our channel and never miss an update. Mr Trump will not take over as president for another six weeks. And yet already it feels like he is more of a player and moulder of global events (because of what he does and doesn't choose to do and say) than at any time in his last presidency. There's another difference this time too. During Mr Trump's last presidency, there were powerful European counterbalances. But now, Germany's former chancellor Angela Merkel is long gone and Mr Macron is weak, despite his diplomatic masterstroke in inviting Mr Trump to Paris.None
The RBI and the Maldives Monetary Authority on Thursday signed an agreement here for establishing a framework to promote the use of local currencies -- the Indian Rupee and the Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR) for cross-border transactions . The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Governor of Reserve Bank of India Shaktikanta Das and Governor of Maldives Monetary Authority Ahmed Munawar. "The MoU encourages the use of INR and MVR in current account transactions, permissible capital account transactions and any other economic and financial transactions as agreed upon by both countries," the RBI said in a statement. This framework would enable exporters and importers to invoice and settle in their respective domestic currencies, which in turn would enable the development of trading in the INR-MVR pair in foreign exchange market. Use of local currencies would optimise costs and settlement time for transactions, the RBI added. "This collaboration marks a key milestone in strengthening bilateral cooperation between RBI and MMA," it said. 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Nominations for ET MSME Awards are now open. The last day to apply is November 30, 2024. Click here to submit your entry for any one or more of the 22 categories and stand a chance to win a prestigious award. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )In keeping with a long-standing Thanksgiving tradition, President Joe Biden recently pardoned a pair of turkeys . During a ceremony at the White House, the birds — named Peach and Blossom — were spared from the dinner table and given a new lease on life. While it was an act of pure political pageantry, it highlights the president’s expansive pardon powers — which could be used liberally during his final two months in office. Historically, presidents have issued numerous pardons during their lame duck periods, including quite a few that have raised eyebrows. Here is what to know about presidential pardons. Presidential pardon power Article II of the Constitution enables the president to grant clemency for any federal crime, according to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. This authority is rooted in an old English law that permits monarchs to bestow mercy on criminals. “The president’s power to pardon is astronomical,” Taylor Stoermer, a historian at Johns Hopkins University, told McClatchy News. “The Constitution doesn’t even require an explanation. The only real limits are that it doesn’t apply to state crimes or impeachment cases.” “So the president can grant full pardons, commute sentences, or even offer amnesty, on an individual basis or for an entire class of people,” Stoermer said. How often do presidents grant clemency? Most presidents have issued numerous acts of clemency throughout their terms in office, according to historians. For example, Donald Trump, during his first term, granted 143 pardons and 94 commutations, according to the Pew Research Center. During Barack Obama’s eight years in office, he issued 212 pardons and 1,715 commutations. Among the commutations granted by both men were multiple that concerned low-level drug offenses , such as possession of marijuana. However, these acts of clemency have not typically been distributed evenly throughout a president’s tenure. Since 1945, every president — with the exception of Lyndon Johnson — granted clemency at a higher rate during the last four months of their terms, according to CRS. For example, Obama granted an average of 296 acts of clemency per month during his final four months in office, compared with an average of eight per month before that. Similarly, Trump issued an average of 50 per month during the last four months compared with an average of one per month before that. “Trump certainly kept to that pattern, and I would not be surprised if Biden does as well,” Thomas Balcerski, a presidential historian at Eastern Connecticut State University, told McClatchy News. Additionally, these 11th hour acts of mercy tend to be the most controversial ones. “Most save the big, bold pardons for the end of their terms,” Stoermer said. “And because exactly why you’d think: No voters to answer to.” Controversial acts of clemency Throughout history, presidents have issued a fair number of pardons, commutations and acts of amnesty that have received widespread scrutiny. “The most famous, of course, is Gerald Ford’s pardoning of Richard Nixon,” Vernon Burton, an emeritus history professor at Clemson University, told McClatchy News. In September 1974, following the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation, Ford issued a full pardon for any crimes Nixon “committed or may have committed” against the United States. Jimmy Carter also took flak for pardoning “all of the Vietnam War draft dodgers,” Burton said. “That was huge.” This pardon, issued on Carter’s first day in office in 1977, applied to roughly 100,000 military-age men who avoided going to war , according to Politico. “Then there’s George H.W. Bush pardoning key players in Iran-Contra,” Stoermer said. With less than one month until he left office, Bush pardoned six people , including a former secretary of defense, wrapped up in the illegal arms scandal. More recently, Obama reduced the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, a Puerto Rican activist whose political organization was responsible for dozens of robberies and bombings in the U.S. And Trump preemptively pardoned adviser Steven Bannon, who was charged with bilking donors out of money they gave toward the construction of a border wall. “These kinds of moves show how the pardon power can get tangled up in political strategy or personal connections — and that’s what makes it fascinating (or infuriating) to watch,” Stoermer said. Have presidents pardoned family members? Given that Biden’s son Hunter Biden has been convicted of felony offenses , some have wondered whether he will issue a pardon before he leaves office. “Would he pardon Hunter Biden? That’d be quite something,” Balcerski said. “There is some precedent.” On his last day in office, President Bill Clinton issued a pardon for his half-brother Roger Clinton, who had pleaded guilty to a cocaine distribution charge. “That was slightly less impactful because Roger Clinton had already served the time,” Stoermer said. “So that was mostly about clearing his record than dodging accountability.” Biden, though, has said he has no plans to grant clemency to his son. Could Trump break the mold? Trump could break with long-standing tradition of issuing controversial pardons at the end of his term, historians said. The president-elect has vowed to pardon some of the people convicted of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot on his first day in office. “I am inclined to pardon many of them ,” he wrote on social media in March, according to ABC News. Throughout the country, about 1,500 people have been charged in connection with the riot, including about 547 who were charged with “assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees.” “It wouldn’t be surprising to see an unprecedented wave of pardons right out of the gate, particularly for January 6 rioters,” Stoermer said. “That would take the use of the pardon power into completely uncharted territory.” “Of course, there is a precedent: Carter’s first-day pardon of draft evaders of the Vietnam era,” Stoermer said. “That applied to hundreds of thousands of people. But that’s not quite the same as a coup.” ©2024 The Charlotte Observer. Visit charlotteobserver.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Rico Carty, who won the 1970 NL batting title when he hit a major league-best .366 for the Atlanta Braves, has died. He was 85. , the players’ association and the Braves paid tribute to Carty on social media on Sunday. No further details on Carty’s death were provided. “Carty was one of the first groundbreaking Latino stars in the major leagues, and he established himself as a hero to millions in his native Dominican Republic, his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris, and the city of Atlanta, where he was a beloved fan favourite,” the players’ association said . The Braves said Carty left on the organization. “While his on-field accomplishments will never be forgotten, his unforgettable smile and generous nature will be sorely missed,” the team said in its statement. Carty made his big league debut with the Braves in September 1963. He batted .330 with 22 homers and 88 RBIs in his first full season in 1964, finishing second to Dick Allen in voting for NL Rookie of the Year. The Braves moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta after the 1965 season, and Carty got the franchise’s first hit in its new home on April 12, 1966, against Pittsburgh. Carty had his best year in 1970, batting .366 with 25 homers and a career-best 101 RBIs. He started the All-Star Game after he was elected as a write-in candidate, joining Willie Mays and Hank Aaron in the NL outfield. Carty batted .299 with 204 homers and 890 RBIs over 15 years in the majors, also playing for Cleveland, Toronto, Oakland, Texas and the Chicago Cubs. He retired after the 1979 season.Indian Investment Banker earning over Rs 3 crore per year shares tips about how to can earn big money. Video goes viral