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A UPS wide-body cargo plane crashed on Tuesday and erupted into a fireball moments after takeoff from the international airport in Louisville, Kentucky, killing seven, including all three aboard, and injuring 11 on the ground, officials said. Flames from the crash, shortly before sundown, ignited a string of fires in an industrial corridor adjacent to the airport, forcing authorities to halt flight operations through the night, the officials said. The Louisville airport, which is home to UPS Worldport a global hub for the shipping company’s air cargo operations and its largest package-handling facility worldwide was expected to reopen on Wednesday morning. Two runways were strewn with debris from the crash. In a Tuesday night service alert, UPS said delivery schedules for airborne and international packages “may be affected” by the disruption. “Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as conditions permit,” it added. The triple-engine plane was fueled for an 8-1/2 hour flight to Honolulu. It had a crew of three, UPS said. None survived, officials said. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg told reporters at a late-night news briefing that four deaths were confirmed on the ground, with 11 injured people taken to hospitals. Separately, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said the death toll was at least seven and expected to rise. Some survivors had suffered “very significant” injuries, he said. It was the first UPS cargo plane to crash since August 2013, when an Airbus aircraft went down on a landing approach to the international airport in Birmingham, Alabama, killing both crew. Television channel WLKY, a CBS affiliate, showed video of Tuesday’s crash, with flames visible as the plane took off, and the fireball erupting as it hit the ground. Several buildings in an industrial area beyond the runway were on fire after the crash, with thick, black smoke seen rising into the evening sky. Beshear said stricken facilities on the ground included a petroleum recycling center and an auto parts business. “UPS Flight 2976 crashed around 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 4, after departing from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement. One key question for investigators is why one engine appeared to have separated from the plane before the crash, a person briefed on the matter said, pointing to video images of airfield debris. The cause and origin of the fire before the aircraft went down were also unknown. U.S. air safety expert and pilot John Cox said investigators will need to look at why the plane with three engines failed to fly after one apparently caught fire. Its too big a fire for a normal, typical-engine fire, Cox said. Its much too big. That airplane should have flown on two engines. So now weve got to look at what caused it not to fly, he added. Fires on the ground burned for hours afterwards, with authorities warning the public within a 5-mile (8-km) radius of the scene to stay indoors to guard against air-quality hazards. The shelter-in-place zone was later reduced to a mile across. CRASH INVOLVED 34-YEAR-OLD PLANE FAA records show the crashed plane, an MD-11 freighter, was 34 years old. Boeing, which shut down the MD-11 program after acquiring it in a merger with McDonnell Douglas, said it was concerned for the safety and well-being of those affected, and it would provide technical support to the investigation. Flightradar24 said the plane, which began operations with UPS in 2006, had flown from Louisville to Baltimore earlier on Tuesday before returning to Louisville. It climbed to an altitude of 175 feet and reached a speed of 184 knots before making a sharp descent, Flightradar24 data showed. The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the accident investigation and was sending a team to the site, a spokesperson said. The NTSB typically takes 12 to 24 months to complete an investigation, make a finding of probable cause and issue recommendations to help avoid similar incidents. UPS is the largest employer in Louisville, providing 26,000 jobs, the publication Louisville Business First said. “We are terribly saddened by the accident tonight in Louisville,” the company said in a statement. Louisville’s Worldport is at the center of the hub-and-spoke system for its air cargo network, serving the high-tech, healthcare and retail industries, handling more than 300 flights and processing about 2 million packages a day. More than 150 UPS customers, such as Merck & Co and other major pharmaceutical companies, have inventory there. “My heart goes out to everybody at UPS, because this is a UPS town,” Louisville Metro Council member Betsy Ruhe, whose district includes the airport, said at the press conference. “We all know somebody who works at UPS, and they’re all texting their friends, their family, trying to make sure everyone is safe. Sadly, some of those texts are probably going to go unanswered.” Additional writing and reporting by Dan Catchpole, Steve Gorman, Juby Babu, Allison Lampert, Gnaneshwar Rajan and Shivani Tanna David Shepardson, Chris Thomas and Lisa Baertlein, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York on Tuesday, capping a stunning ascent for the 34-year-old, far-left state lawmaker, who promised to transform city government to restore power to the working class and fight back against a hostile Trump administration.In a victory for the Democratic party’s progressive wing, Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani must now navigate the unending demands of America’s biggest city and deliver on ambitious skeptics say unrealistic campaign promises.With his commanding win, the democratic socialist will etch his place in history as the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage and the first born in Africa. He will also become New York’s youngest mayor in more than a century when he takes office on Jan. 1.“The conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this,” Mamdani declared to a roaring crowd at his victory party.He cast his win as a boon for blue-collar workers struggling to get by. “New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change,” he said, vowing to “wake up each morning with a singular purpose: To make this city better for you than it was the day before.”More than 2 million New Yorkers cast ballots in the contest, the largest turnout in a mayoral race in more than 50 years, according to the city’s Board of Elections. With roughly 90% of the votes counted, Mamdani held an approximately 9 percentage point lead over Cuomo.Mamdani’s unlikely rise gives credence to Democrats who have urged the party to embrace more progressive candidates instead of rallying behind centrists in hopes of winning back swing voters who have abandoned the party.He has already faced scrutiny from national Republicans, including President Donald Trump, who have eagerly cast him as a threat and the face of a more radical Democratic Party that is out of step with mainstream America. Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut federal funding to the city and even take it over if Mamdani won. A commanding win At his victory party in Brooklyn, Mamdani supporters cheered and embraced, some tearfully, after The Associated Press called the race. Campaign posters flew through the air, as one person hoisted the official flag of New York City and Bad Bunny played from the speakers.The mood was far more muted at Cuomo’s party at a midtown Manhattan theater. In his concession speech, a defiant Cuomo called his campaign “a caution flag that we are headed down a dangerous, dangerous road” and noted that “almost half of New Yorkers did not vote to support a government agenda that makes promises that we know cannot be met.”Still, he corrected his supporters when they began to boo at the mention of Mamdani’s name.“No, that is not right,” he said, offering to help the incoming mayor in any way. “Tonight was their night.”Mamdani’s grassroots campaign centered on affordability, and his charisma spoiled Cuomo’s attempted political comeback. The former governor, who resigned four years ago following allegations of sexual harassment that he continues to deny, was dogged by his past throughout the race and was criticized for running a negative campaign.Mamdani will also have to deal with Trump, who not only threatened retribution against the city but also suggested he might try to arrest and deport Mamdani if he won. Mamdani was born in Uganda, where he spent his early childhood, but was raised in New York City and became a U.S. citizen in 2018.In his speech, Mamdani addressed Trump head on.“New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and as of tonight, led by an immigrant,” he said, adding that, “If anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him.”Trump appeared to acknowledge Mamdani’s challenges, posting “AND SO IT BEGINS!” on his Truth Social site. New mayor will pursue an ambitious agenda Mamdani, who was criticized throughout the campaign for his thin resume, will now have to begin staffing his incoming administration and planning how to accomplish the ambitious but polarizing agenda that drove him to victory.Among the campaign’s promises are free child care, free city bus service, city-run grocery stores and a new Department of Community Safety that would send mental health care workers to handle certain emergency calls rather than police officers. It is unclear how Mamdani will pay for such initiatives, given Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul’s steadfast opposition to his calls to raise taxes on wealthy people.His decisions around the leadership of the New York Police Department will also be closely watched. Mamdani was a fierce critic of the department in 2020, calling for “this rogue agency” to be defunded and slamming it as “racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety.” He has since apologized for those comments and has said he will ask the current NYPD commissioner to stay on the job.Mamdani’s campaign was driven by his optimistic view of the city and his promises to improve the quality of life for its middle and lower classes.Cuomo, Sliwa and other critics assailed him over his vehement criticism of Israel ‘s military actions in Gaza. Mamdani, a longtime advocate of Palestinian rights, has accused Israel of committing genocide and said he would honor an arrest warrant the International Criminal Court issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Mamdani won over the city while Cuomo faltered Mamdani began his campaign as a relatively obscure state lawmaker, little known even within New York City.Going into the Democratic primary, Cuomo was the presumed favorite, with near-universal name recognition and deep political connections. Cuomo’s chances were buoyed further when incumbent Mayor Eric Adams bowed out of the primary while dealing with the fallout of his now-dismissed federal corruption case.But as the race progressed, Mamdani’s natural charm, catchy social media videos and populist economic platform energized voters in the notoriously expensive city. He also began drawing outside attention as his name recognition grew.Mamdani trounced Cuomo in the primary by about 13 points.The former governor relaunched his campaign as an independent candidate for the general election, vowing to hit the streets with a more energetic approach. However, much of his campaign continued to focus on attacking opponents. In the race’s final stretch, he claimed Mamdani’s election would make Jews feel unsafe.Meanwhile, supporters packed Mamdani’s rallies, and he held whimsical events, including a scavenger hunt and a community soccer tournament.Cuomo also juxtaposed his deep experience in government with Mamdani’s less than five years in the state Legislature. But the former governor also faced his own poltical baggage, as his opponents dredged up the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation, as well as his decisions during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.Sliwa, the creator of the Guardian Angels crime patrol group, also had his moments mostly in the form of funny quips on the debate stage but had difficulty gaining traction as a Republican in an overwhelmingly Democratic city.He conceded the race about a half hour after the polls closed, wishing Mamdani “good luck because if he does well, we do well.”But he also issued a warning: “If you try to implement socialism, if you try to render our police weak and impotent, if you forsake the people’s public safety, we will become the mayor-elect and his supporters’ worst enemies.” Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz, Philip Marcelo and Jake Offenhartz contributed to this report. Anthony Izaguirre and Jill Colvin, Associated Press
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Duolingo has been through a lot of changes over the past few years. What was once solely a language-learning app has grown into a social media marketing machine, a destination for math and music lessons, and now an online chess tutor. In June, Duolingo launched a Duolingo Chess course to teach beginners the basic rules and moves by allowing them to play against an AI tutor named Oscar. This month, the company is taking the course further, launching a multiplayer version of the game where users can compete against one another. Duolingo, which is on track to surpass $1 billion in revenue this year, has 48 million daily active users and 11 million paying subscribers. Though the company doesnt reveal user numbers for the free chess course, at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in September, cofounder and CEO Luis von Ahn said that it had already notched millions and millions of users within three months. Even more remarkable: Von Ahn greenlit the development of the chess course only nine months before it launched. The story of how Duolingo created its hit chess course is the clearest illustration of how AI is transforming the company. Fast Company spoke with two of the principals behind the chess course. As they make clear, AI is not replacing engineers, but it is giving them a head start. Vibe coding has become a phenomenon, but we don’t have any high-profile examples of a hit product that relied on it. Until now. Chess as education Von Ahn admits to being skeptical about offering chess lessons when the idea was first pitched to him a couple of years ago. He didnt want Duolingo to turn into an app for games. But a conversation with Guatemalas minister of education changed his mind. (Von Ahn was born and raised in Guatemala.) The minister was so frustrated with the education system in her country that she said she was thinking about sending every student a chess board so that at least theyd learn how to play. That helped von Ahn see the game through an educational lens. He greenlit the idea and handed it to the pair of employees who initially pitched it: Neither of them knew how to play chess, and neither of them were engineers, von Ahn says. But they didnt need those skills to get started. They simply vibe coded a prototype. AI has been an important part of Duolingos workflow strategy. Earlier this spring, von Ahn sent a memo to his staff outlining plans to make Duolingo an AI-first company to remove bottlenecks and inspire employees to focus on creative work and real problems rather than repetitive tasks. The memo sparked a backlash. On social media, people accused von Ahn of using AI to eliminate jobs. At Fast Companys Innovation Festival, von Ahn cleared the air, saying that the goal isnt to save money. “We have never done a layoff. We have not laid off a single full-time employee, he said. The goal is not to replace human employees. The goal is to do a lot more and get closer to our mission. How to vibe code the game of chess The development of Duolingos chess course kicked off in September 2024 with Edwin Bodge, senior staff product manager, and Tyler Murphy, Duolingos chief product designer. Bodge and Murphy, who had worked together to launch the math and music products for Duolingo, had grown interested in chess when they were brainstorming ideas for a strong third subject. They saw the correlation between learning chess and language learning. To begin the prototyping, they tried a combination of products, including the popular AI-generated coding platform Cursor. Using Cursor, they created an initial version of the chess experience. Bodge says the first steps in prototyping were relatively easy. They began by describing a chess board on the Cursor platform, then added other elements, such as a character (which eventually became the AI tutor, Oscar), a progress bar, and the actual lessons and puzzles. But as Bodge and Murphy layered on more curriculum, things became much more complicated. They started to have a difficult time visualizing the course, so Bodge created multiple chess boards on Cursor to play through each version of the prototype. Soon, they had something fully formed enough to show to colleagues. It was a pretty janky prototype, Bodge admits. But we were able to put it into people’s hands and say, Well, here’s the curriculum we’ve been writing. Here’s all this stuff that we’ve been teaching and how we think it’s going to work. And from that moment, it just became so much more natural. Bodge notes that there are still some aspects of the prototype that are incorporated into the final product, including the curriculum and some of the AI-generated code that he and Murphy developed. That core of the vibe code and prototype is very much in the production app, he says. Building the final product Within a few months, Bodge and Murphy began handing off the project to Duolingo engineers to create the code that would bring the course to life. Sammi Siegel, staff software engineer, was instrumental in building the final product. Thanks to the prototypes that Bodge and Murphy had developed, there was a pretty strong vision for what [the course] should look like, Siegel says. The first few months were implementation, heads down, and coding everything all at once. Siegel says the chess game was the first time the team had launched a new subject within the existing Duolingo app. (The math and music classes were built to be stand-alone apps, and then eventually merged into Duolingo.) We were building [a course] within the current system, so we were able to prove how much faster that [process] was, Siegel explains. Siegels team was also helped by the amount of open-source work that exists around chess. She and her team were able to take advantage of publicly available chess engines, which analyze chess positions and the best moves. And then theres the visual simplicity of chess. Chess is pretty simple, Siegel says. It’s just a board and a guy telling you what he wants you to do on the board, so that made the implementation phase shorter. We were able to get a lot further with a very simple interface. (To build the chessboard, Siegel says the team used a software called Rive, which is cross-platform compatible and can be built in one go for iOS and Android.) Duolingo released the course in beta in April and launched it to the public in June. Now its ready for the next step: introducing player-versus-player mode, which entails a complex coding process. Siegel says creating real-life, player-versus-player functionality is tougher than building matches against a predictable bot, like Oscar. Youre coordinating two humans who think, pause, and play at their own pace, she explains. With Oscar, we can guarantee that youll get matched with a botthats pretty close to your skill level. Siegel adds that keeping both devices in sync is a challenging engineering problem, noting, Weve had to invest in anti-cheating systems and thoughtful handling of disconnections to ensure every match feels fair and stable. A new generation of online chess players By incorporating chess into Duolingo, the company is introducing the game to people who may have never considered learning it before. We talk internally about chess as a very male-dominated game, so it’s interesting to see how we can widen the scope of folks who have access to that kind of education, Siegel says. Bodge says when they first started developing the product, they had a hypothesis that it would appeal to a lot of people. But they wanted to make sure that it felt accessible and engaging, rather than elite and academic. Thats why, in classic Duolingo style, they use an animated characterOscarto play the role of the easygoing tutor. There are a lot of people who we’ve basically activated as chess players, Bodge says. Were ushering in a new generation of players.
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