Category: 3. Business

‎In a bid to recapture its lost young user segment on Instagram, tech giant Meta is reportedly adjusting its teen policies‎

‎The renewed strategy to draw young social media users comes after signs of a deadline in growth and weaker engagement in key markets.

‎Internal planning documents pointed to a long-term strategy focused on reversing declines in teen sign-ups, particularly in wealthier regions where TikTok and YouTube are now dominating.‎

‎Teen growth has always been considered as a top priority, with teams encouraged to fine-tune recommendation systems and revamp youth-oriented features to make Instagram feel relevant rather than routine, as per TechJuice.

‎Another factor behind this move is mounting pressure from regulators. More than 40 US states have sued Meta, accusing the company of harming young users.

‎Lawmakers are also advancing youth safety rules that are expected to transform how minors access social media. New York, for example, now requires mental health warnings on platforms that rely on features such as infinite scroll, autoplay and algorithmic ranking.

‎Meta has highlighted stronger protections for teenagers. These include default “teen account” settings that make profiles more private, restrict direct messages, and reduce exposure to sensitive content.

‎The company has also strengthened its crackdown on harmful behaviour. At the same time, reports are hinting Meta tried to frame its teen content approach using a “PG-13” style analogy, a move that drew criticism for borrowing established rating language.

Insider Brief

• Researchers at Lomonosov Moscow State University have developed and tested a 72-qubit atom-based quantum computing prototype using neutral rubidium atoms, according to TASS.
• The system introduces a new three-zone architecture separating computation, quantum state storage, and readout, with current experiments using two of the three zones.
• Tests show two-qubit gate accuracy of 94%, with researchers aiming to scale toward hundreds of high-fidelity qubits by 2030 to enable error-corrected quantum operations.
• Photo from Pexels by Сергей Велов.

According to TASS reporting, researchers from the Physics Department at Lomonosov Moscow State University have developed and tested a prototype quantum computer based on single neutral rubidium atoms, reaching 72 qubits. Rosatom Quantum Technologies said this marks the third Russian quantum computer to surpass the 70-qubit threshold.

As TASS reports, Yekaterina Solntseva, Director of Quantum Technologies at Rosatom State Corporation, said:
“Reaching the 72-qubit mark on an atom-based platform confirms the systematic development of the domestic quantum project and our strong position in quantum research and the creation of quantum computer prototypes. It is especially important that the scientists have taken another step toward progressively improving the reliability of operations.”

Solntseva emphasized that lowering error rates in quantum logic operations is essential for expanding quantum computing capabilities to levels required for solving complex problems in areas such as industry and finance. She also noted that this progress supports Russia’s technological sovereignty and the competitiveness of its economy.

TASS further reports that the new atom-based quantum prototype uses a new architecture that divides quantum registers into three zones. Stanislav Straupe, head of the quantum computing sector at the Quantum Technology Center at Moscow State University, said one zone is dedicated to computations, while the other two are designed for long-term quantum state storage and information readout.

According to TASS, only the computing and storage zones were used in the current experiments, with development of the third zone planned for the next stage. Straupe stated that reaching several hundred high-fidelity qubits by 2030 would enable logical operations with error correction and allow algorithms that are no longer solvable using classical computers.

Experiments show the prototype can perform two-qubit logical operations with 94% accuracy, TASS reports. Vladimir Belokurov, Dean of the Physics Department at Moscow State University, said the project involves not only senior researchers but also young scientists, graduate students, and undergraduates, helping engage the next generation in one of Russia’s major scientific initiatives.

This reporting is based on statements and data published by TASS, Russia’s state-owned news agency, and affiliated institutions. The reported qubit count, system design, and performance metrics have not been independently verified through peer-reviewed scientific publication or third-party validation.

Source: https://tass.com/science/2063765

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China’s industrial profits fell at their fastest pace in more than a year last month, as Xi Jinping’s economic planners struggled to contain the fallout from industrial overcapacity and lacklustre consumer confidence.

Profits at industrial companies with annual revenues of more than Rmb20mn ($2.8mn) fell 13.1 per cent in November compared with a year earlier, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Saturday, deepening from a 5.5 per cent decline in October.

The November slump brought profit growth for the year to date down to 0.1 per cent above the same period in 2024, down from 1.9 per cent growth in the January-to-October period.

China’s economy has struggled to find long-term drivers of strong growth in the wake of the collapse of the debt-fuelled property sector, which is now entering its fifth year of crisis.

While China has relied on exports of low-cost goods to boost headline growth, the world’s second-biggest economy has been wracked by deflationary pressure, weak domestic demand and falling investment. The producer price index has been mired in negative territory for three years.

The latest factory data highlights the challenge for Chinese policymakers to boost confidence among the country’s companies and consumers, despite a truce in the US-China trade war and a boom in high-tech manufacturing exports.

Yu Weining, NBS chief statistician, said China’s economy faced “structural adjustment pressures” as it transitioned from “old to new” growth drivers, adding that the international environment was also marked by “many unstable and uncertain factors”.

The central government in Beijing has long resisted calls from economists — both inside and outside China — to unleash broad-based stimulus and roll out deep social security reforms to boost sentiment and kick-start the economy.

It has also increasingly taken aim at what authorities call neijuan, or “involution” — excessive industrial competition that they blame in part for overproduction that is driving down prices.

In an article published in Qiushi, the flagship magazine of the Communist party’s central committee, Xi this month urged officials to work more urgently to address the problem of insufficient domestic demand.

“Expanding domestic demand is related to both economic stability and economic security; it is not an expedient measure but a strategic move,” he said.

Xi also reiterated calls for officials and companies to exercise more discipline over investments, following earlier criticism of industrial over-investment, which has resulted in brutal price wars and unfair supplier treatment.

Earlier this month, the NBS reported that fixed asset investment declined 2.6 per cent for the January-November period on a year earlier. Retail sales, seen as an indicator of household demand, expanded 1.3 per cent in November on a year earlier, the slowest pace of growth since December 2022. Both data points were below analysts’ expectations.

The latest NBS data highlighted some bright spots in China’s manufacturing industries. High-tech manufacturing and the auto industry posted year-on-year improvements of 10 per cent and 7.5 per cent, respectively.

Additional contributions from Tina Hu in Beijing

 

The University of the Philippines joins the nation in mourning the passing of Diosdado Banatao (1946–2025).

A towering figure of Filipino excellence, Dado Banatao’s life and work made a lasting impact on the nation. Through his remarkable achievements in technology and his steadfast commitment to education and innovation, he inspired generations of Filipinos to pursue excellence with purpose.

His support for the University of the Philippines reflected a deep belief in the power of knowledge to uplift lives and strengthen the country. We honor Dado Banatao for his enduring contributions, his generosity of spirit, and his dedication to nation-building.

Joel Rheault, vice president of operations for Titan Mining Corp., holds a rock containing graphite at a mine, Nov. 20, in Gouverneur.
(AP photo — Michael Hill)

GOUVERNEUR, N.Y. — Graphite mines in the United States largely closed down seven decades ago. Mining the ubiquitous mineral found in everything from nuclear reactors to pencils seemed to make little sense when it could be imported inexpensively from other nations, especially China.

That view is changing now.

Demand for graphite, a key material in the lithium-ion batteries that power everything from phones to electric cars, is surging as trade tensions with China persist. With federal officials concerned about the steady supply of a number of critical minerals, several companies have plans to mine graphite.

In New York, Titan Mining Corp. has mined a limited amount of ore from a deposit in snowy woods about 25 miles from the Canadian border, aiming for commercial sales by 2028. Company officials believe the geopolitical winds are at their backs to sell graphite concentrate for high-tech, industrial and military uses. That could include heat-resistant coatings in factories, anodes in large lithium-ion batteries connected to electrical grids and lubricants for military vehicles, according to the company.

“We believe there is a real opportunity here,” said company CEO Rita Adiani. “We have the ability to supply a significant portion of U.S. needs. And that’s largely because you can’t see China now as a reliable supply-chain partner.”

Trade tensions with China rose this year as President Donald Trump’s administration imposed higher tariffs, though those tensions eased somewhat after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in October during a regional economic summit in South Korea.

The northern New York deposit is in a rural region with a rich history of graphite, iron ore and garnet mining. The iconic yellow Ticonderoga pencil was named for a town several hours east of this deposit where graphite was mined long ago.

Titan’s Joel Rheault recently held up a rock from the newly mined area. It was an ordinary-looking flecked fragment of schist, glinting slightly in the sun. But it was comprised of roughly 3% graphite.

“You can see how gray the rock is here,” said Rheault, the company’s vice president of operations. “That’s because of that graphite.”

–

A critical mineral

–

Graphite can conduct electricity and withstand high temperatures, making it useful for a host of commercial and military applications. As such, the Department of Energy has said the need for graphite is critical, and the Department of the Interior lists it as one of 60 “critical minerals,” along with more than a dozen rare earth elements.

Forecasters also expect global graphite demand to continue soaring in the next decade, alongside the battery boom. That includes both mined, or “natural,” graphite and manufactured, or “synthetic,” graphite, which tends to be purer but pricier. Lithium-ion batteries’ anodes can use a mix of both.

China dominance in supplying both of natural and synthetic graphite has worried U.S. policymakers for years. Concerns spiked recently when China placed new export controls on graphite and several other minerals, only to relax them for a year.

Federal officials trying to shore up supply chains for critical minerals like graphite included a tax credit for critical mineral production in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. More recently, the Trump administration struck critical mineral deals with other countries to diversify supplies. It also has emphasized critical minerals through government funding and streamlined reviews.

“What’s happening now needs to happen,” said Gregory Keoleian, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan. “I think you just don’t want to be completely reliant on other countries when you have resources that you could develop.”

–

Multiple active projects

–

Most U.S. graphite mines were closed by the 1950s.

Right now, no U.S. graphite mines regularly produce a commercial product, according to the U.S. Geological Survey National Minerals Information Center.

But the center says the Titan mine is one of five active projects, including two in Alabama and one each in Montana and Alaska. Westwater Resources this fall announced it retained an engineering firm to lead the permitting process for mine development at the Coosa Deposit in Alabama. The Graphite One Inc. project in Alaska is at the site of what state officials say is the largest known large-flake graphite deposit in the United States.

“When we are sitting with one of the largest graphite deposits in the entire world … there’s no reason why we need to rely on China for our graphite,” said Anthony Huston, president and CEO of Graphite One.

Titan has an advantage because its New York graphite deposit was discovered several years ago at the site of its existing zinc mine. The company was able to start limited graphite mining under its current permits while seeking additional permits for full-scale mining.

The federal government this fall approved the New York mine for fast-tracked permitting, saying it would “build a strategically significant domestic supply chain for graphite.” The U.S. Export-Import Bank also said it would consider lending up to $120 million for construction and pledged $5.5 million for a feasibility study.

Titan expects to eventually produce about 444,092 tons of graphite concentrate a year, which the company says is roughly half the current U.S. demand for natural graphite.

“We have indications, effectively, that 100% of the output from this facility could be sold,” Adiani said.

“All the nurses want to do is what they’ve done for decades. We’ve got nurses that have been intensive care for 30 years which is to carry on providing excellent treatment to their patients.

“I think the trust is really potentially going to lose a lot of valuable expensive and skill by forcing these changes on the nurses,” Mr Rawlinson said.

The union also said the nurses fear the rotation would lead to Bassetlaw Hospital losing its ICU permanently.

Karen Jessop, Chief Nurse at DBTH, said: “Our priority is patient safety, and that means ensuring our highly skilled ICU nurses maintain the level of competency critically ill patients rightly expect.

“Bassetlaw Hospital sees fewer very sick patients, and a short-term rotation with Doncaster is the safest and most effective way to keep those specialist skills up-to-date.

“We have worked closely with colleagues and unions, and we believe our offer is practical, supportive, and focused on enabling our teams to continue delivering the safest, highest-quality care.”

Friday 2 January

• Long-distance trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads or Swansea will not stop at Didcot Parkway, Swindon or Chippenham

• A shuttle train service will still run between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway, plus Swindon and Cheltenham Spa, Bristol Temple Meads or Westbury

• Replacement buses will run between Swindon and Didcot Parkway or Reading

Saturday 3 January, plus the weekends of 10/11, 17/18 and 24/25 January

• Long-distance trains between London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads or Swansea will not stop at Didcot Parkway, Swindon or Chippenham

• Trains will still run between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway, Swindon and Cheltenham Spa, plus Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads or Westbury

• Replacement buses will operate between Swindon and Didcot Parkway or Reading, plus between Swindon and Bristol Parkway or Chippenham

• Valid rail tickets can also be used to travel on local buses in Bath and Wiltshire

Sunday 4 January (until before midday)

• Most GWR trains will start or terminate at Reading instead of London Paddington

• Some GWR and Elizabeth Line trains will run between Reading and Maidenhead; Elizabeth Line will also operate between Hayes & Harlington and London Paddington

• Buses will replace trains between Maidenhead, Slough and Hayes & Harlington

• Trains between Slough and Windsor & Eton Central will be unaffected

Finding ways to use leftover Christmas food could help household budgets and the environment, a waste management boss said.

Douglas Button, waste minimisation and sustainability officer at Guernsey Waste, has urged people to find ways to avoid throwing food not eaten during festive celebrations.

He said recipes which used leftover food could be found on Guernsey’s Love Food, Hate Waste website.

Mr Button added people should try to “reuse” as much food as possible over Christmas, even if it meant asking party guests to bring a container with them to take some items home with them.

“We have several recipes on the website and it’s very handy for using leftovers,” Mr Button said.

“If it has to be wasted then please put it in your food caddy.

“But clearly, try not to waste and try to reuse as much as you possibly can as it’s much better for your budget and environmentally its a lot friendlier.”

Mr Button also issued advice on recycling other items including Christmas trees.

He said real trees could be taken to the waste and recycling centres at Longue Hougue and Mont Cuet or to some garden centres on the island which offered recycling services.

Mr Button added unless it had items like sequins or glitter added to it, most wrapping paper would be recyclable.