Daily Briefing: The safer seats on flights

On that note, let’s get to today’s edition:

Big Story

Tragedy struck South Korea Sunday when a jetliner skidded off the runway and crashed into a concrete fence at the Muan International Airport. All but two of the 181 passengers on board were killed.

Probe on: Questions surround the deadliest crash in South Korean aviation history. The initial investigation pointed to a malfunction in the Boeing 737-800’s landing gear, which a bird strike may have caused. The US National Transportation Safety Board, the airlines Jeju Air, and Boeing have joined South Korea’s probe into the incident.

Take blame: This was the second such incident in five days. On Christmas day, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight, travelling to Russia, crashed in Kazakhstan’s Aktau. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev confirmed initial speculation that Russian air defence systems shot down the plane and demanded that the Kremlin admit guilt and punish those responsible. The Kremlin had put out a statement apologising for the incident but stopped short of taking the blame.

Safety first: The two plane crashes have put the spotlight on onboard safety. While the two incidents were not similar on most counts, there was one commonality—the bulk of the survivors were seated in the rear part of the aircraft. Are some parts of the plane safer than others? Statistics point one way.

Only in Express

AI or nothing: What will 2025’s tech look like? Well, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to reign supreme. There might, however, be some recalibration of the actual use cases of AI.

Did we get the predictions for last year correct? Nandagopal Rajan, Chief Operating Officer of The Indian Express Digital, joins the host on our flagship ‘3 Things’ podcast to discuss the past year’s tech trends. Tune in!

On that note, don’t miss The Indian Express’ ongoing series, where we take a look at what’s in store for 2025 in the realm of politics, economy, law and more.

From the Front Page

Strike: The Punjab government is in a fix. A 70-year-old farmer has been on a fast-unto-death for over a month. The Supreme Court has chastised the state government for not doing enough to save his life. Why is farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal fasting? He has raised several demands, the main being MSP as a legal guarantee. With anger among the farmers mounting, they have called for a bandh in the state today.

Slump: Foreign investors largely stayed away from India this year. The foreign investment inflows into the domestic equity market amounted to Rs 1,600 crore on a net basis. This marked a 99 per cent fall from the robust inflows of Rs 1.71 lakh crore in the previous year.

Must Read

Drone Fighting 101: The Garuda Squad are the new superheroes in town. They help the Telangana Police ward off the menace of rogue drones and secure no-fly zones. They are aviation experts in their own right, just not humans. Meet the five-member squad of kites and eagles.

Fighting fit: A fitness programme in Kerala came under the scanner after the ruling CPI(M) accused the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) of using it to further their political agenda. The multi-exercise combination (MEC-7) programme, however, continues with support from participants and politicians alike.

Spending spree: What do Indians spend on? Well, a household consumption expenditure survey for 2023-24, shows that rural and urban India are spending more on beverages and processed foods than other food items. Among non-food items, conveyance topped the list of expenses.

And Finally…

Actor Manoj Bajpayee joined us for the latest edition of Idea Exchange to discuss the future of cinema, his stardom and how he is still a babua for those in his village. Don’t miss.

That’s all for today folks. Until tomorrow,

Sonal Gupta

Business As Usual by EP Unny