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How many of us is too many?: Mridula Ramesh writes on the population matrixPressure is on the Albanese government to make headway on its long list of stalled legislation before the federal election. Housing will be back in spotlight during the final sitting week of 2024, with the Help to Buy government equity scheme and incentives for build-to-rent to be brought to a final vote in the Senate. The two housing bills have struggled to attract the support of the opposition or the Greens, with Labor knocking back fresh demands from the latter. Central to the Greens' updated position is funding for 25,000 "shovel-ready" homes not given the go-ahead under the first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund. Labor insists the demand is unlawful and would result in the construction of million-dollar homes that are not value for money. Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said his party had designed "a compromise offer that is popular, achievable and easy to accept, it requires no new legislation and sits broadly within government policy". With 30 or so bills still before the parliament, the government has been ramping up pressure on the Greens and the coalition to co-operate. "This is a week where we will see the colour of the eyes of Peter Dutton and the Greens party," Employment Minister Murray Watt told reporters on Sunday. A friendless crackdown on misinformation and disinformation has been shelved and gambling reforms have been pushed into next year. Though the government is expecting wins on its aged care reforms and its social media age limit, with the former expected to attract opposition support. Under world-first legislation, Australians younger than 16 will be banned from social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Labor will also be spruiking its Future Made in Australia plan, with its hydrogen and critical minerals production tax incentives to be introduced to parliament on Monday. Economic management will likely get some airtime after monthly inflation figures are released on Wednesday, with headline inflation expected to once again land within the Reserve Bank of Australia's target band. But with the central bank's preferred underlying gauge - stripped of the volatility inflicting the headline number - likely to remain above the two-three per cent band, keenly-anticipated interest rate cuts are likely to stay on ice. The federal election is due to be held by May 17.
Photons are massless quantum particles that form light. They travel at incredible speeds and interact with various forms of matter. The emission of photons from atoms and molecules can lead to an unlimited number of interactions and possibilities. A new study from the University of Birmingham (UoB) researchers presents a model that explains the interaction between photons and their emitter. Using the calculations from their model, the study authors also created a visual representation of a photon. “Our calculations enabled us to convert a seemingly insolvable problem into something that can be computed. And, almost as a by-product of the model, we were able to produce this image of a photon, something that hasn’t been seen before in physics,” Dr. Benjamin Yuen, first author of the study and a professor at UoB, said . The significance of photons in the quantum world In 1905, Albert Einstein first proposed that light is also made of particles, and in 1926, American chemist Gilbert Newton Lewis coined the term “photon” for such particles. Even after 100 years, scientists still don’t know how a photon actually looks and interacts with different elements of our environment. This is because these particles travel at the speed of light and don’t have a fixed position or a trajectory. While scientists have developed techniques to observe and manipulate photons, such as through experiments involving light detectors or using advanced equipment like high-speed cameras and particle accelerators — these methods only measure or visualize the effects of photons rather than the photons themselves. However, understanding a photon’s geometry, shape, and interactions with matter is crucial to gaining deeper insights into the science that governs the quantum world. For instance, a photon’s wave-particle duality governs how it interacts with matter, enabling phenomena like absorption, emission, and scattering. Similarly, an idea about their shape could enhance the precision of quantum technologies such as quantum photonics, communication, and cryptography. What promise does the new model hold? The mathematical model from the UoB team employs pseudomode expansion, a technique in quantum optics that simplifies studying how light interacts with matter in complex environments, like photonic crystals. Instead of modeling the whole environment in detail, this approach uses a few simplified modes (pseudomodes) to represent the environment’s main effects on the system. This makes the analysis easier while still capturing the important interactions. The model successfully explains the interaction between photons and different quantum emitters (QEs), such as atoms, quantum dots (nanometers-scale particles that act like artificial atoms), and fluorescent molecules. However, it doesn’t stop here; it also sheds light on both the near-field and far-field energies resulting from such interaction. “This work helps us to increase our understanding of the energy exchange between light and matter, and secondly to better understand how light radiates into its nearby and distant surroundings,” Yuen said. “Lots of this information had previously been thought of as just ‘noise’ – but there’s so much information within it that we can now make sense of, and make use of. By understanding this, we set the foundations to be able to engineer light-matter interactions for future applications, such as better sensors, improved photovoltaic energy cells, or quantum computing,” he concluded. The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters .Malik Nabers: Giants Were 'Soft as F--k' in Bucs Loss; I'm 'Tired of Losing'
AP News Summary at 9:44 a.m. ESTDirect Line Insurance Group (LON:DLG) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?
The Texas Longhorns had a scary moment in the second quarter when Quinn Ewers limped off the field due to an ankle injury following a touchdown run by Jaydon Blue. Ewers appeared to be bothered by the injury for the rest of the afternoon, and the offense would rely heavily on the rushing attack. Texas star quarterback would finish the game 20-of-31 passing for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Thanks for the feedback.Barclays PLC ( LON:BARC – Get Free Report )’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 265.50 ($3.38) and last traded at GBX 264.95 ($3.37), with a volume of 413758094 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 258.95 ($3.30). Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have issued reports on BARC shares. Shore Capital reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Barclays in a research note on Monday, September 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued an “overweight” rating and set a GBX 270 ($3.44) price target on shares of Barclays in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of GBX 276 ($3.52). Check Out Our Latest Report on Barclays Barclays Price Performance Insider Transactions at Barclays In other news, insider Anna Cross sold 49,013 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 221 ($2.81), for a total value of £108,318.73 ($137,968.07). Also, insider Brian Gilvary sold 109,404 shares of Barclays stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 249 ($3.17), for a total transaction of £272,415.96 ($346,982.50). Insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock. About Barclays ( Get Free Report ) Barclays PLC provides various financial services in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company operates through Barclays UK and Barclays International division segments. It offers financial services, such as retail banking, credit cards, wholesale banking, investment banking, wealth management, and investment management services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Barclays Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Barclays and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Chuck Woolery , whose game-show hosting career included tenures at Wheel of Fortune and Love Connection , has died at age 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s friend and podcast cohost, shared the news on X on Saturday. “It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my dear brother @chuckwoolery has just passed away,” Young wrote. “Life will not be the same without him. RIP, brother.” Young told TMZ he was at Woolery’s home in Texas when the former TV host reported not feeling well and went to lie down. When Young checked in later, Woolery was having trouble breathing, and despite a 911 call, Woolery died shortly thereafter. Woolery was born on March 16, 1941, in Ashland, Kentucky, to a business owner and a homemaker, according to The Hollywood Reporter . After stints at the University of Kentucky, in the U.S. Navy, and at Morehead State University, Woolery moved to Nashville to start a music career. He and singer Elkin “Bubba” Fowler formed the psychedelic pop duo The Avant-Garde, and their song “Naturally Stoned” peaked at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968. Lorimar Television/ Everett Collection A singing performance on The Merv Griffin Show led Woolery to audition for a new game show, originally titled Shopper’s Bazaar , that Merv Griffin was developing at the time. After some tinkering, Wheel of Fortune debuted on NBC on January 6, 1975. Griffin earned a Daytime Emmy for his Wheel work and hosted the show until 1981, when a salary dispute led producers to replace him with Pat Sajak . Woolery moved on with a job hosting the syndicated dating game show Love Connection from 1983 to 1994, pulling in 4.5 million viewers a day at one point. He also emceed the game show Scrabble from 1984 to 1990, and between the two shows, he was earning $1 million a year by 1986, as People reported at the time. Woolery also hosted the game show Greed on Fox from 1999 to 2000 and Lingo on Game Show Network from 2002 to 2007. In recent years, Woolery stoked controversy with his political views, posting a tweet that sparked antisemitism accusations in 2017 and then claiming in 2020 that “everyone [was] lying” about the coronavirus pandemic , as Newsweek reported. He also argued that minorities didn’t need civil rights, according to the Associated Press . Woolery was married four times, and his ex-wives included actor Jo Ann Pflug. He had eight children and stepchildren, per THR . More Headlines:
OpenAI, Artificial Intelligence company and maker of popular chatbot ChatGPT, has officially announced its reasons for transitioning into a for-profit organization, lays out plans. The company via a post on its website noted that the significant shift in its corporate structure was necessitated to ensure the long-term success of its mission, which is to ensure that Artificial Intelligence (AI) benefits all of humanity. This transition involves restructuring OpenAl’s existing for-profit arm into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), designed to balance the interests of shareholders, stakeholders, and the broader public. The move reflects the organization’s evolving priorities, focusing on sustainable operations, robust fundraising capabilities, and a renewed commitment to its mission. Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 16 (Feb 10 – May 3, 2025 ) opens registrations; register today for early bird discounts. Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations here. Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and i nvest in Africa’s finest startups here . OpenAl was founded in 2015 as a non-profit research lab with the ambitious goal of advancing Artificial intelligence in ways most likely to benefit humanity. In its early years, the AI startup operated without commercial revenue, relying on donations and grants to support its work. However, as it became clear that building AGI required massive computational resources and capital, the organization recognized the need for a new approach. “ Our stated goal was advancing digital intelligence in the way most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return.” A non-profit structure seemed fitting, and we raised donations in various forms including cash ($137M, less than a third of which was from Elon) and compute credits and discounts ($1.8M from Amazon and $50M or more from each of Azure and Google Cloud)”, the company wrote. In 2019, OpenAl introduced a unique hybrid structure: a for-profit entity controlled by the non-profit, designed to raise the substantial capital necessary to pursue AGI research while ensuring that profits would flow back to support the non-profit’s mission. This structure facilitated significant investments, including an initial round of over $100 million and a $1 billion partnership with Microsoft. Over the past decade, OpenAl has transformed from a research lab to a pioneering technology company. The launch of ChatGPT in 2022 brought Al into the hands of millions, showcasing the potential of large language models in everyday life. Today, over 300 million people use OpenAl’s products weekly for learning, productivity, and more. Recent advancements, including the o-series models introduced in 2024, have demonstrated new reasoning capabilities that further the path toward AGI. Meanwhile, OpenAl’s influence has extended beyond its products, driving innovation across the Al ecosystem and inspiring other organizations to advance Al safety and accessibility. As OpenAl moves into 2025, the need for significant additional capital has become clear. The Board estimates that hundreds of billions of dollars will be required to develop the infrastructure, compute, and talent necessary for the AGI economy. To attract this level of investment, the organization needs to simplify its structure, making it more appealing to conventional investors. The new plan involves converting OpenAl’s for-profit arm into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation. This structure, already adopted by many mission-driven organizations, ensures that OpenAl’s decisions will balance profit motives with its commitment to benefiting humanity. Under the proposed structure, the non-profit arm will remain a cornerstone of OpenAl’s mission. The non-profit will retain significant shares in the newly formed PBC, valued by independent financial advisors, providing it with unprecedented resources to pursue charitable initiatives. These initiatives will focus on areas such as healthcare, education, and science, furthering the goal of ensuring Al benefits everyone. OpenAl’s mission is no longer confined to building a single AGI system, Instead, it envisions a continuous journey of contributing to the development of a new Al-powered economy. By evolving its structure, OpenAl aims to lead this transformation while ensuring that the benefits of Artificial Intelligence are widely shared. With this transition, OpenAl is poised to become more than a lab or startup, it is set to emerge as a sustainable, enduring organization committed to advancing Al’s capability, safety, and positive impact on the world.
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Lucknow, Nov 24 (PTI) Electoral politics is hard as the momentum shifts ever so quickly, more so in a politically sensitive state like Uttar Pradesh, where the results of the byelections in nine assembly seats have repositioned the ruling BJP in the pole position after a blip in the June 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Having put in the hard yards with multiple rallies across all nine by-poll seats and assigning himself the responsibility of a difficult seat like Katehari in Ambedkarnagar that BJP won after three decades, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's stock has skyrocketed to the days when the BJP won a consecutive term in UP in 2022. Adityanath literally set the narrative for the bypolls in August itself with slogans like 'batenge toh katenge (divided we perish)' that were cleverly tailored to reinforce the Hindu unity pitch and resonated right through the mini polls. "For a long time, Samajwadi Party's politics revolved around its 'MY' factor that was meant to denote a particular community and caste. The BJP has changed that with a new 'MY' approach. This 'MY' factor means Modi-Yogi and these two leaders are changing the political discourse with their development narrative, and this by-poll again showed the effectiveness of Yogi ji," UP BJP spokesman Manish Shukla told PTI. The party won six seats out of nine while ally RLD got one. Adityanath's 'batoge toh katoge' slogan made a huge impression was evident in the BJP’s win in the Muslim-majority Kundarki seat in Moradabad. Here, the party had not won in three decades but this time voters consolidated behind BJP’s Ramveer Singh, the lone Hindu among 11 Muslims in the fray. “The SP took Muslims for granted and we went about telling the voters about SP leaders’ claim that virtually anyone on their party’s symbol would win. "Eventually they realised that despite being unfairly demonised by our opponents, only BJP could get them out of the vote bank trap and of course our leadership helped,” Ramveer said. The importance of Kundarki win was such that it even found a mention in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech at the BJP office in Delhi after the BJP-led-NDA’s spectacular win in Maharashtra on Saturday evening. “What it means is that while BJP vote bank consolidated, the SP’s trusted Muslim vote bank that had voted for the party in big numbers both in 2022 UP polls as well as in 2024 Lok Sabha polls disintegrated. Brand Yogi has found a boost while Akhilesh Yadav has some work to do,” a senior BJP leader told PTI. Even in its family bastion of Karhal seat in Mainpuri, which SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had himself won by an impressive margin of around 67000 votes in 2002 UP polls, the SP’s vote bank dipped as party candidate and Akhilesh’s nephew Tej Pratap Yadav won against Anujesh Yadav, also a distant relative of Akhilesh, by about 14000 votes. The SP had alleged massive irregularities in voting and on its complaint the EC had suspended seven police officials in UP. In Sishamau, Kanpur, the only other seat the SP won in the bypolls, the margin was even lesser – about 8000 odd – making it evident the main opposition party had lost the momentum gained after 2024 Lok Sabha poll results. Back then the SP had won 37 seats against BJP’s 33 in UP but the momentum, it appears, has quickly swung back in BJP’s favour. Meerapur assembly seat in Muzaffarnagar in west UP was another seat that had a sizeable Muslim presence. RLD had won the seat in 2022 UP polls when it was in alliance with SP, and has succeeded in retaining it after joining hands with the BJP. "The RLD has a dedicated vote bank comprising all sections of society and people's belief in our leader Jayant Chaudhary showed again with a landslide win," RLD leader Rohit Agarwal told PTI. The Congress, which announced support for SP, didn’t contest the polls and though senior leaders on both sides said “all is well” with the alliance, at the local level discordant notes were heard. These concerns primarily revolved around a lack of ground-level coordination; defeating the very purpose of coordination committees that were set up on October 25 to ensure that. “There is nothing wrong with the alliance. The Congress helped us. The reason for the reverses was mainly due to rampant and blatant misuse of official machinery and the people would make BJP realise this in 2027 UP polls when SP comes to power,” Samajwadi Party’s national secretary Arvind Singh ‘Gope’ told PTI. The BSP, led by four-time former UP chief minister Mayawati, suffered maximum embarrassment as its candidate badly lost the polls, opening the party again to the charge of being a ‘vote katva (vote cutter)’. On Sunday Mayawati after alleging irregularities declared that her party won’t contest any more bypolls – an announcement that meant little in the face of yet another political loss and party leadership’s inability to arrest the slide. “The BJP contested the polls as one unit unlike the opposition that was besieged with internal conflicts," Shukla said. “What can one say about BSP? We all know that it has been the ‘B’ team of BJP and this election too proved that as it contested the election not to win but to dent the chances of the INDIA bloc,” Congress secretary Shahnawaz Alam said. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)