After receiving funds from the Tata Education Trust (TET), the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) announced an extension of contracts of 115 teaching and non-teaching contractual employees till March 31, 2025. The contracts of the 50 teaching and 65 non-teaching staffers were set to end on December 31. “If more funds are received (from TET), or the process for funds are streamlined, the contract will further be extended,” TISS’s acting Vice-Chancellor (VC) Manoj Tiwari told the Free Press Journal. “We are working on a long-term solution,” he added. On June 28 this year, TISS had announced the termination of contracts for 55 faculty members and 60 non-teaching staff across its four campuses. The termination letters indicated that their contracts would not be renewed, with their services officially concluding on June 30. However, following concerns raised by students and staff highlighting that many of the affected teachers were involved in project work and teaching across various courses, TET agreed to extend funding for the 115 staff members until December 31. With the deadline nearing, the Progressive Students Forum (PSF), a student organisation at TISS, sought clarity regarding staff employment by submitting a letter to the administration on November 30. In response, TISS confirmed that the contracts for TET staff would be extended until the end of March 2025. “As we welcome this temporary extension, we believe a permanent solution is extremely necessary and urge the TISS administration to devise a long-term plan for the same,” the PSF said in a statement after the contracts of the contractual employees were extended.NEW YORK — I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo, too! Forgive us the shameless attempt to link the fantasy hit “Wicked” to the delightful Moo Deng . But, hear us out — there’s something the two have in common as the year draws to a close. Escapism. Whether we found it on the yellow brick road, or in videos from a Thailand zoo, or perhaps in unlikely Olympic heroes , we gravitated toward fantasy and feel-good pop culture moments this year. There were new trends, as always. “Brat summer” became a thing, as did “demure, mindful.” And for some inexplicable reason, we became obsessed with celebrity lookalike contests. People are also reading... There were breakups — Bennifer is, again, a thing of the past — and reunions: Oasis, please try to stay together for the tour. Yet some things stayed, remarkably, the same: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé kept on breaking records and making history. So, after a year where much changed but some things held steady, here’s our annual, very selective trip down pop culture memory lane: Lily Gladstone poses in the press room Jan. 7 with the award for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama for "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. January It starts as a cheery tweet from a beloved “Sesame Street” figure: “ ELMO is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answers hint at something deeper and more worrisome. “Not great, Elmo. Not great,” says one milder reply. Doing much better is the viral phenomenon called “BARBENHEIMER,” which makes its awards season debut at the GOLDEN GLOBES . But perhaps the most poignant moment comes from neither film: LILY GLADSTONE , first Indigenous winner of best actress in a drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” begins her remarks in the language of her tribe, Blackfeet Nation. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) kisses Taylor Swift on Feb. 11 after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game in Las Vegas. February Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to settle into a sweet love saga via TikTok. Only that’s not quite what we get with “Who TF Did I Marry?,” REESA TEESA ’s depressing, fascinating, 50-part account of her disastrous marriage with a man who lied about absolutely everything. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a single week that encapsulates peak SWIFT cultural dominance , try this: she begins with the Grammys in Los Angeles (becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times AND announcing a new album), then heads to Tokyo for four tour dates, then jets back just in time for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas — where she shares a passionate smooch with boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE on the field of victory. Ryan Gosling performs the song "I'm Just Ken" from the movie "Barbie" on March 10 during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. March “What was I made for?” BILLIE EILISH sings at the OSCARS, channeling BARBIE . And what was KEN made for? Not entirely clear — but it's clear RYAN GOSLING was made to play him. His singalong version of “I’m Just Ken” is one of the most entertaining Oscar musical moments in years. Still, Christopher Nolan's “OPPENHEIMER” prevails, a rare case of the top prize going to a blockbuster studio film. Will it happen again in 2025? CYNTHIA ERIVO and ARIANA GRANDE sure hope so; as presenters, they make a sly reference to their upcoming juggernaut, “WICKED.” Speaking of marketing, people are obsessed with that bizarre “DUNE” popcorn bucket. Beyonce And BEYONCÉ carves her space in country music with “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which will make her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart. Taylor Swift performs June 21 at Wembley Stadium in London as part of her Eras Tour. April Tennis, anyone? The game’s been around for centuries, but it’s having a cultural moment right now, helped mightily by “CHALLENGERS,” the sweaty romance triangle starring ZENDAYA, MIKE FAIST and JOSH O'CONNOR (40-love? More like 40-sex.) Elsewhere, a new era dawns: At midnight, SWIFT drops “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT," then drops another 15 songs two hours later. The fascinating and disturbing “BABY REINDEER,” the story of a struggling comedian’s extended encounter with a stalker, debuts on Netflix. Ben Affleck, left, and Jennifer Lopez arrive Feb. 13 at the premiere of "This Is Me ... Now: A Love Story" at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. May It’s MET GALA time — or as it's known in 2024, another early marketing moment for “WICKED.” ERIVO and GRANDE make fashion waves on the carpet and then musical ones at dinner, with a soulful performance of “When You Believe.” If the “Wicked” tour is in full force, another one stops in its tracks: JENNIFER LOPEZ cancels her summer tour amid reports of both poor ticket sales and trouble in her marriage to BEN AFFLECK . It’s been an eventful year for J.Lo, who's released an album and movie called “THIS IS ME ... NOW" — both reflections on her renewed love with Affleck. June Welcome to BRAT SUMMER ! CHARLI XCX releases her hit “Brat” album , with its lime green cover, and launches a thousand memes. Collins Dictionary defines “brat,” its word of the year, as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.” At the celeb-heavy SWIFT shows in London, we see PRINCE WILLIAM shaking it off, which is either charming or cringe, you decide. Even better: KELCE dons a top hat and tux and performs for one night. At another stadium across the pond, METS infielder JOSE IGLESIAS delights the crowd with his cheery number “OMG.” Stephen Nedoroscik is introduced June 29 at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials in Minneapolis. July Bonjour, it’s OLYMPICS time! In Paris! An audacious opening ceremony along the Seine is punctuated by a fabulous CELINE DION , perched on the EIFFEL TOWER , singing her heart out — in the rain, too. Controversy swirls over a scene critics feel mocks Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (organizers say it does not). Olympic stars are born — including French swimming superstar LEON MARCHAND , rugby player ILONA MAHER , and bespectacled “Pommel Horse Guy” gymnast STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK , who nets two bronze medals and comparisons to Clark Kent. Baby pigmy hippo Moo Deng plays with a zookeeper Sept. 19 in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand. Also capturing hearts: yep, MOO DENG , born this month. Her name means “bouncy pork.” Australia's Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, competes Aug. 9 during the Round Robin Battle at the breaking competition at La Concorde Urban Park at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. August This is them ... now: BENNIFER is no more. After two decades, two engagements and two weddings, J.Lo files for divorce. One union dissolves, another returns: OASIS announces a reunion tour. Everyone seems to want to get in on TikToker JOOLS LEBRON 's “ DEMURE, MINDFUL ” act — even the WHITE HOUSE press team. Back at the Olympics, in the new sport of breaking, we meet Australia’s RAYGUN , arguably neither demure nor mindful with her “kangaroo” move. Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani brings his dog Decoy to the mound Aug. 28 before Decoy delivered the ceremonial first pitch prior to a baseball game between the Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles in Los Angeles. Cute animal alert: SHOHEI OHTANI ’s perky pooch DECOY does a great “first pitch” in his Major League Baseball debut. Chappell Roan performs "Good Luck, Babe" on Sept. 11 during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. September One of the year’s biggest breakout artists, CHAPPELL ROAN , withdraws from a music festival after speaking out about frightening fan interactions. And more on the price of fame: In an excruciating moment, “Bachelorette” JENN TRAN , the franchise’s first Asian American lead, is forced to sit through a painful viewing of her proposal to her chosen suitor, after tearfully explaining how he’d later dumped her over the phone. Tran is keeping busy though — she’s announced as part of the new “Dancing with the Stars” lineup. Also on the list: rugby player Maher, and Pommel Horse Guy! Also, ANNA SOROKIN , dancing with an ankle monitor. Online fandom, meanwhile, is shaken when X is temporarily suspended in Brazil and celebrity stan accounts post tearful farewells, revealing to many across the globe that their favorite accounts are run by Brazilians. Miles Mitchell, 21, wins of the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest Oct. 27 near Washington Square Park in New York. October “Dune” Chalamets! “Wonka” Chalamets! Thousands gather in Manhattan for a TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET lookalike contest, and things really get interesting when Chalamet himself shows up. He doesn’t enter the contest, though, and with his mustache, he may not even have won. The trend continues with contests for JEREMY ALLEN WHITE, ZAYN MALIK and — in a very Washington version — Kennedy scion JACK SCHLOSSBERG , who's been gathering a following with some interesting social media posts. New York Liberty Kennedy Burke dances with the mascot, Ellie the Elephant, during an Oct. 24 ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York. Turning to basketball, who’s that dancing with USHER ? Why it’s ELLIE THE ELEPHANT , the now-viral NEW YORK LIBERTY mascot. Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, appears Nov. 2 with Maya Rudolph on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in New York. November MAYA RUDOLPH does a pretty good KAMALA HARRIS laugh on “Saturday Night Live,” but you know who does it better? HARRIS herself. The Democratic candidate makes a surprise cameo three days before the U.S. presidential election, following in the footsteps of HILLARY CLINTON , SARAH PALIN and others. Elsewhere in television, Bravo announces that “VANDERPUMP RULES,” the Emmy-nominated reality show that has lived through countless scandals, is entirely recasting its 12th season — apart from namesake LISA VANDERPUMP . As for MOO DENG , she doesn't have her own TV series yet, but our favorite pygmy hippo is generating plenty of merch . And THAT brings us back to ... Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo pose for photographers Nov. 11 prior to the premiere of "Wicked" at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. December “WICKED” ! Director JON M. CHU ’s emerald-hued fantasy remains very very popular, to quote one of its buzzy show tunes, dancing through life and defying gravity at the multiplex. Moviegoers also come for “GLADIATOR II” and, in a veritable tidal wave, Disney's “MOANA 2,” which beckons us back to the seas of Oceania. Once again, 2024 seems to be telling us: Give people some whimsy, a place to escape, maybe some catchy tunes — and no one knows how far they’ll go. 2024 Year in Review The stories and images that defined 2024. What were the most popular Wikipedia pages of 2024? Searching for something? From queries about U.S. politics to cricket in India, Wikipedia has become a source of information for millions of people across the globe. PHOTOS: The top sports images from 2024 From the Paris Olympics to the Super Bowl. From Simone Biles to Shohei Ohtani. And, of course, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. These are the sp... PHOTOS: The top images of 2024 AP photographers assembled a visual catalog of our civilization as life in 2024 hurtled directly at us at every speed and in every imaginable ... PHOTOS: The top images from the US in 2024 In 2024, photographers captured glimpses of humanity, ranging from a deeply divisive presidential election, to hurricanes and fires that ravag... PHOTOS: The top images from the 2024 elections Associated Press photographers captured voters with raw emotions of joy, excitement, contemplation or sorrow. PHOTOS: The top entertainment images from 2024 See entertainment's biggest moments in 2024, through the lens of Associated Press photographers. How to sum up 2024? The Oxford University Press word of the year is 'brain rot' It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. From Kamala to Chappell, here are some of the most mispronounced words of 2024 News anchors, politicians and other public figures in the U.S. struggled with these words the most this year. 'Polarization' is Merriam-Webster's 2024 word of the year Is it any surprise Merriam-Webster's word of the year is "polarization"? Here are the other words that rounded out the top 10 for 2024. Stay up-to-date on what's happening Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly!

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Jimmy Carter had the longest post-presidency of anyone to hold the office, and one of the most active. Here is a look back at his life. 1924 — Jimmy Carter was born on Oct. 1 to Earl and Lillian Carter in the small town of Plains, Georgia. 1928 — Earl Carter bought a 350-acre farm 3 miles from Plains in the tiny community of Archery. The Carter family lived in a house on the farm without running water or electricity. 1941 — He graduated from Plains High School and enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College in Americus. 1942 — He transferred to Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. 1943 — Carter’s boyhood dream of being in the Navy becomes a reality as he is appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. 1946 — He received his naval commission and on July 7 married Rosalynn Smith of Plains. They moved to Norfolk, Virginia. 1946-1952 — Carter’s three sons are born, Jack in 1947, Chip in 1950 and Jeff in 1952. 1962-66 — Carter is elected to the Georgia State Senate and serves two terms. 1953 — Carter’s father died and he cut his naval career short to save the family farm. Due to a limited income, Jimmy, Rosalynn and their three sons moved into Public Housing Apartment 9A in Plains. 1966 — He ran for governor, but lost. 1967 — Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s fourth child, Amy, is born. 1971 — He ran for governor again and won the election, becoming Georgia’s 76th governor on Jan. 12. 1974 — Carter announced his candidacy for president. 1976 — Carter was elected 39th president on Nov. 2, narrowly defeating incumbent Gerald Ford. 1978 — U.S. and the Peoples’ Republic of China establish full diplomatic relations. President Carter negotiates and mediates an accord between Egypt and Israel at Camp David. 1979 — The Department of Education is formed. Iranian radicals overrun the U.S. Embassy and seize American hostages. The Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty is signed. 1980 — On March 21, Carter announces that the U.S. will boycott the Olympic Games scheduled in Moscow. A rescue attempt to get American hostages out of Iran is unsuccessful. Carter was defeated in his bid for a second term as president by Ronald Reagan in November. 1981 — President Carter continues to negotiate the release of the American hostages in Iran. Minutes before his term as president is over, the hostages are released. 1982 — Carter became a distinguished professor at Emory University in Atlanta, and founded The Carter Center. The nonpartisan and nonprofit center addresses national and international issues of public policy. 1984 — Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter volunteer one week a year for Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization that helps needy people in the United States and in other countries renovate and build homes, until 2020. He also taught Sunday school in the Maranatha Baptist Church of Plains from the mid-’80s until 2020. 2002 — Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 2015 — Carter announced in August he had been diagnosed with melanoma that spread to his brain. 2016 — He said in March that he no longer needed cancer treatment. 2024 — Carter dies at 100 years old. Sources: Cartercenter.org, Plains Historical Preservation Trust, The Associated Press; The Brookings Institution; U.S. Navy; WhiteHouse.gov, GallupSee moment Postmaster General covers his ears during oversight hearing

A British political stoush has erupted over the "great British institution" of sandwiches. In an interview with Spectator magazine, Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch suggested sandwiches were not real food. Speaking of taking a lunch break she said: "lunch is for wimps". "I have food brought in and I work and eat at the same time. "Sometimes I will get a steak... I'm not a sandwich person, I don't think sandwiches are a real food, it's what you have for breakfast." Badenoch was particularly against soggy bread. "I will not touch bread if it's moist," she said. In response, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told media the sandwich was a "great British institution". "I think he was surprised to hear that the leader of the opposition has a steak brought in for lunch. "The prime minister is quite happy with a sandwich lunch." Starmer enjoys a tuna sandwich and occasionally a cheese toastie, the spokesperson was reported as saying by Sky News . Reform leader Nigel Farage took to social media to weigh in on the debate. Appearing in a restaurant drinking a glass of red wine, Farage said he enjoyed lunch. But when he was short on time a sandwich in the office would do, he said.B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in Align Technology, Inc. ( NASDAQ:ALGN – Free Report ) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,919 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock, valued at approximately $742,000. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of ALGN. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its holdings in shares of Align Technology by 67.7% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 101,229 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $33,195,000 after purchasing an additional 40,852 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Align Technology during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Align Technology by 190.7% in the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 54,126 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $17,748,000 after buying an additional 35,507 shares during the period. BOKF NA increased its position in shares of Align Technology by 18.8% in the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 13,437 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock worth $4,295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Align Technology by 10.9% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 437,219 shares of the medical equipment provider’s stock valued at $143,373,000 after acquiring an additional 43,144 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.43% of the company’s stock. Align Technology Stock Down 1.0 % ALGN stock opened at $225.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.55, a P/E/G ratio of 5.91 and a beta of 1.65. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $228.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $237.82. Align Technology, Inc. has a 12 month low of $196.09 and a 12 month high of $335.40. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts recently commented on ALGN shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Align Technology from $325.00 to $276.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Align Technology from $270.00 to $250.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Align Technology from $310.00 to $280.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Align Technology from $285.00 to $275.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Align Technology from $285.00 to $275.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $276.38. Read Our Latest Analysis on Align Technology Align Technology Profile ( Free Report ) Align Technology, Inc designs, manufactures, and markets Invisalign clear aligners, and iTero intraoral scanners and services for orthodontists and general practitioner dentists in the United States, Switzerland, and internationally. The company's Clear Aligner segment offers comprehensive products, including Invisalign comprehensive package that addresses the orthodontic needs of younger patients, such as mandibular advancement, compliance indicators, and compensation for tooth eruption; and Invisalign First Phase I and Invisalign First Comprehensive Phase 2 package for younger patients generally between the ages of six and ten years, which is a mixture of primary/baby and permanent teeth. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Align Technology Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Align Technology and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Wicked star Ariana Grande says she and Cynthia Erivo were ‘insufferable’

Max Stock Limited Announces Change in Shares Held by an Interested PartySwiss Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger dies in avalanche, aged 26

Restoration Hardware is out with third quarter results and shares are up 13% after hours as they were much better than feared. The company isn't shy about sharing its views on the economy so the call later will be notable. Here are some macro highlights of the release: "The positive inflection of our business continued to gain momentum with third quarter demand increasing 13% despite operating in the worst housing market in 30 years." "We do not expect a negative impact to margins as a result of the most recent communications regarding the potential for increased tariffs in 2025. We have been proactively moving sourcing away from China over the past several years with the expectation of fully exiting the country by the end of the second quarter." The company boosted guidance: "Q4 Total Demand growth of 20% to 22%, and Revenue growth of 18% to 20%" I'd file this under: The wealthy and the upper middle class have been doing great in this economy, and the recent gains in the stock market will aid further.The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump's promises on growth and inflation WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has big plans for the economy. He also has big debt problem that'll be a hurdle to delivering on those plan. Trump has bold ambitions on tax cuts, tariffs and other programs. But high interest rates and the price of repaying the federal government’s existing debt could limit what he’s able to do. The federal debt stands at roughly $36 trillion, and the spike in inflation after the pandemic has pushed up the government’s borrowing costs such that debt service next year will easily exceed spending on national security. 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator' make gravity-defying theater debuts NEW YORK (AP) — “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” have debuted in theaters with a combined $270 million in ticket sales. Their worldwide performance breathed fresh life into global box office results that have struggled lately. Together the films turned the moviegoing weekend into one of the busiest of the year. Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally. Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” is a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original and launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. “Moana 2” is being released Wednesday, so it looks like Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday. Trump's Republican Party is increasingly winning union voters. It's a shift seen in his labor pick WASHINGTON (AP) — Working-class voters helped Republicans make steady election gains this year and expanded a coalition that increasingly includes rank-and-file union members. It's a political shift spotlighting one of President-elect Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet picks: a GOP congresswoman, who has drawn labor support, to be his labor secretary. Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her bid for a second term this month, despite strong backing from union members. They're a key part of the Democratic base but are gravitating in the Trump era toward a Republican Party traditionally allied with business interests. Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can execute his economic vision and look straight out of central casting while doing so. With his Yale University education and pedigree trading for Soros Fund Management before establishing his own funds, Bessent will be tasked with a delicate balancing act. Trump expects him to help reset the global trade order, enable trillions of dollars in tax cuts, ensure inflation stays in check, manage a ballooning national debt and still keep the financial markets confident. Trump chooses Bessent to be treasury secretary, Vought as budget chief, Chavez-DeRemer for Labor WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Bessent, 62, is founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management. He previously had worked on and off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. Trump also said he would nominate Russell Vought, 48, to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a position he held during Trump's first term. And Trump chose Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican, as his labor secretary, and Scott Turner, a former football player who worked in Trump’s first administration, as his housing secretary. Afraid of losing the US-Canada trade pact, Mexico alters its laws and removes Chinese parts MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has been taking a bashing for allegedly serving as a conduit for Chinese parts and products into North America. Officials here are terrified that a re-elected Donald Trump or politically struggling Justin Trudeau could simply expel their country from the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement. Mexico's ruling Morena party is so afraid its has gone on a campaign to get companies to replace Chinese parts with locally made ones. And its legislators are consciously tweaking the wording of major laws to try to make them compatible with the trade pact's language. Mexico hopes the rules of the trade pact would prevent the U.S. or Canada from simply walking away. Australia withdraws a misinformation bill after critics compare it to censorship CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s government has withdrawn a bill that would give a media watchdog power to monitor digital platforms and require them to keep records about misinformation and disinformation on their networks. Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Sunday that the government was unable to drum up the support needed to pass the legislation. The opposition spokesman, David Coleman, said the bill “betrayed our democracy” and amounted to “censorship laws in Australia.” The bill would have granted the Australian Communications and Media Authority power over digital platforms by approving an enforceable code of conduct or standards for social media companies if self-regulation fell short. He'll be the last meatpacker in the Meatpacking District. Here's how NYC's gritty 'hood got chic NEW YORK (AP) — The last meatpackers in New York's Meatpacking District have agreed to end their leases early and make way for development on their city-owned lot. A third-generation meatpacker says he is ready to retire and he'll be proud to be there when the building closes. The closure date has not been set, but will mark the end of over a century of industrial life in the Meatpacking District. Starting in the 1970s, a new nightlife scene emerged as bars and nightclubs moved in. Today it's a hub for shopping, tourism, and recreation and only echoes of that grit remain. US budget airlines are struggling. Will pursuing premium passengers solve their problems? DALLAS (AP) — Delta and United Airlines have become the most profitable U.S. airlines by targeting premium customers while also winning a significant share of budget travelers. That is squeezing smaller low-fare carriers like Spirit Airlines, which filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday. Some travel industry experts think Spirit’s troubles indicate less-wealthy passengers will have fewer choices and higher prices. Other discount airlines are on better financial footing but also are lagging far behind the full-service airlines when it comes to recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Most industry experts think Frontier and other so-called ultra-low-cost carriers will fill the vacuum if Spirit shrinks, and that there's still plenty of competition to prevent prices from spiking. What to know about Scott Bessent, Trump's pick for treasury secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen money manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction and deregulation, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Bessent is a past supporter of Democrats who has become an enthusiastic supporter of Trump. He’s an advocate of cutting spending while extending the tax cuts approved by Congress in Trump’s first term. He has said tariffs imposed during a second Trump administration would be directed primarily at China.Reading the situational tea leaves and constantly questioning the “powers that be” is the key to ensure that the experiment in democracy does not derail into some darker alleys. Seldom do established democracies regress to the sudden normalisation of majoritarianism (one example of an imperfect democracy) suddenly. The early signs loom large and need to be called out in time, especially if they pertain to the institutions of checks and balances. Even signs that are seemingly innocuous in normal times acquire a sinister portent, when the backdrop is freighted with frequent compromises and leniencies from the spirit of the Constitution, if not the letter. The foreboding (in hindsight) but initially unquestioned signs in the early years of Gen. Zia-ul Haq’s military dictatorship in Pakistan are a case in point. After perfunctorily promising to uphold democracy and the spirit of the Pakistani constitution, he subsequently scripted a starkly different narrative. The reimagining of history started surreptitiously with reinterpreting words and the order of Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s national motto — unity (ittehad), faith (yaqeen), order (nazm). The religiously-motivated Gen. Zia was to slip in subtle changes with rearranging the order as per his envisaged priorities — faith, unity, order. Historians insist that Jinnah’s faith, or “yaqueen”, pertained to the “Idea of Pakistan”, whereas Gen. Zia reinterpreted it in terms of religious faith, as is the norm in any majoritarian or puritanical regime. Soon, even the relatively liberal institution of the Pakistan Army changed from a fairly standardised motto of “Unity, Faith, Discipline” to a more religiously charged “Iman (Faith), Taqwa (Piety) and Jihad fi Sabilillah (Holy war in the path of Allah)”. Reflectively, this would ordain the Pakistan Army to wage “holy war in the path of Allah” (as also claimed by religious extremists and terrorists), and not just towards its constitutional and restricted task of protecting the country’s territorial integrity. What could be seen to be semantic nitpicking often metastasizes into legitimising religiosity and revisionism — the terrible consequences of Gen. Zia’s dark years of inserting his exclusionary and partisan agenda still play out in Pakistan today, and it is a genie, that once unleashed, is very difficult to put back in the bottle. A similar case of skewed semantics that were inherently incendiary was when then US President George W. Bush had, in his “war on terror” speech soon after the 9/11 attacks, invoked the “crusades” to contextualise his war on terror. The Middle East region recalls the indelicate gaffe of “crusades” as wars waged by the Christian West against Arab Muslims to capture the holy land from Muslims. Further allusion to the war as “a civilisational fight” had shades of Samuel P. Huntington’s clash of civilisations narrative that “others” the Middle East as barbaric, violent and backward, while conveniently short-changing the murky and manipulative past of the “West” in conjuring such a situation, in the first place. The political legitimising of such entitled Orientalism has been perfected to an art by the even more divisive rhetoric of Donald Trump, and that does not augur well for trust or heal. However, American society and the media is still fiercely independent and open to questioning the “powers that be” whenever they feel that the leadership is sanctifying a spirit that diminishes its hallowed constitutional values. It is with this backdrop that three recent instances of possible partisanship afflicting the spine of India — the supposedly apolitical institutions of the bureaucracy, judiciary and the armed forces, has raised eyebrows. Recently, some bureaucrats from a southern state felt emboldened enough to start a WhatsApp group, incredulously called “Mallu Hindu Officers”, suggesting a religion-based criteria for a service that is ostensibly above such divides. While they were called out by the state government for behaving in a manner unbefitting a government official, the deafening silence in the rest of the country was telling, for had the derelict officers belonged to a “othered” community and dared to do such an exclusivist and repulsive action, perhaps the reaction would have been more dramatic. Similarly, a high court judge risked public trust in the judiciary by making certain statements supporting Uniform Civil Code and allegedly made brazen and unrestrained remarks about a minority community. While he too was ultimately pulled up by the Supreme Court, this was only after he was afforded “cover fire” by the chief minister of the same state with the statement: “Those who speak truth are threatened with impeachment”. While politicians do what they do best to sully the environment with partisan or exclusionary goads, the succumbing of those who are expected to maintain constitutional impartiality is quite disconcerting.