OpenAI's latest large language model, known internally as Orion, has fallen short of performance targets, marking a broader slowdown in AI advancement across the industry's leading companies, according to Bloomberg, corroborating similar media stories in recent days. The model, which completed initial training in September, showed particular weakness in novel coding tasks and failed to demonstrate the same magnitude of improvement over its predecessor as GPT-4 achieved over GPT-3.5, the publication reported Wednesday. Google's upcoming Gemini software and Anthropic's Claude 3.5 Opus are facing similar challenges. Google's project is not meeting internal benchmarks, while Anthropic has delayed its model's release, Bloomberg said. Industry insiders cited by the publication pointed to growing scarcity of high-quality training data and mounting operational costs as key obstacles. OpenAI's Orion specifically struggled due to insufficient coding data for training, the report said. OpenAI has moved Orion into post-training refinement but is unlikely to release the system before early 2024. The report adds: [...] AI companies continue to pursue a more-is-better playbook. In their quest to build products that approach the level of human intelligence, tech firms are increasing the amount of computing power, data and time they use to train new models -- and driving up costs in the process. Amodei has said companies will spend $100 million to train a bleeding-edge model this year and that amount will hit $100 billion in the coming years. As costs rise, so do the stakes and expectations for each new model under development. Noah Giansiracusa, an associate professor of mathematics at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, said AI models will keep improving, but the rate at which that will happen is questionable. "We got very excited for a brief period of very fast progress," he said. "That just wasn't sustainable." Further reading: OpenAI and Others Seek New Path To Smarter AI as Current Methods Hit Limitations.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Climate campaigners are bringing a legal case they hope will halt drilling at two huge fossil fuel projects.

The judge describes Holly Le Gresley and Adriana Orme's actions as "abhorrent and sadistic".

Justin Welby behaved like a politician and in some ways has faced the downfall of one, writes religion editor Aleem Maqbool.

1. Global carbon market gets green signal at COP29 under Paris Agreement's Article 6  The Hindu
2. Why India and China have pushed against climate change-related trade measures at COP29  The Indian Express
3. COP29: G77, China agree to use new NCQG draft text as basis for finance negotiations  The New Indian Express
4. Video | UN Scientists Warn Of 'Rising Emissions' Worldwide  NDTV
5. COP29 gets momentum with consensus on creation of carbon credits standards, India wants to conclude work  The Times of India

Filed under: North America, United States

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Ryan McMahon and the Rockies hope the struggles of 2018 lead to an immediate payoff. McMahon is a prime competitor for regular starts at second base, and those will come his way if he realizes potential for power and run production.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins declined to get into a back-and-forth with Marcus Stroman on Sunday afternoon, sidestepping criticism of the organization from his right-handed starter.

A unique population of ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons co-transmits glutamate and GABA. However, the circuit inputs to VTA VGluT2+VGaT+ neurons are unknown, limiting our understanding of their functional capabilities. By coupling monosynaptic rabies tracing with intersectional genetic targeting in male and female mice, we found that VTA VGluT2+VGaT+ neurons received diverse brainwide inputs. The largest numbers of monosynaptic inputs to VTA VGluT2+VGaT+ neurons were from superior colliculus (SC), lateral hypothalamus (LH), midbrain reticular nucleus, and periaqueductal gray, whereas the densest inputs relative to brain region volume were from the dorsal raphe nucleus, lateral habenula, and VTA. Based on these and prior data, we hypothesized that LH and SC inputs were from glutamatergic neurons. Optical activation of glutamatergic LH neurons activated VTA VGluT2+VGaT+ neurons regardless of stimulation frequency and resulted in flee-like ambulatory behavior. In contrast, optical activation of glutamatergic SC neurons activated VTA VGluT2+VGaT+ neurons for a brief period of time at high frequency and resulted in head rotation and arrested ambulatory behavior (freezing). Stimulation of glutamatergic LH neurons, but not glutamatergic SC neurons, was associated with VTA VGluT2+VGaT+ footshock-induced activity and inhibition of LH glutamatergic neurons disrupted VTA VGluT2+VGaT+ tailshock-induced activity. We interpret these results such that inputs to VTA VGluT2+VGaT+ neurons may integrate diverse signals related to the detection and processing of motivationally salient outcomes.

HIV and AIDS can be prevented. It just takes you.

Long-termers in Turkey get an unexpected opportunity to share the gospel while also representing the Turkish Post Office!

Three Turkish women have discovered the Saviour who loves them through contact with the Bible Correspondence Course in Istanbul, Turkey.

Working and living in fishing communities on Lake Tanganyika in Southern Africa, OM workers disciple locals in the ways of Christ.

The Good News II School in Mpulungu, Zambia, has grown from 20 students to over 180. Students have grown from the values they learnt.

A story how an Asian sister found her way to a local church service in Greece.

Women caught in the sex industry find new life through Nea Zoi, a partner organisation, which reaches out to sex workers in Athens.

OM uses an educational programme called KidsGames to share Bible stories in a public school.

A recap of Bus4Life's ministry in Romania during the summer of 2018.

Two workers in the Middle East talk about friends they’ve made at the women’s gym and why it’s a good place to invest their time.

Two workers share their motivation to keep going when they encounter disappointments in ministry.

A Canadian couple spends two of their retirement years with OM in Italy, learning that it’s never too late to change the world around them.

In this second update from the Serbia/Croatia border, OM leader Volker Sachse describes moments of God’s peace that transforms people in a dire situation.

After ministering for many years on Santay Island, the OM Ecuador team saw three men come to Christ.

Relationships, mentoring, fun, practical work, spiritual growth and learning to love others are all part of OM Belgium's fACTOR programme.

As Australia grapples with a tight international schedule, cricket legend Mark Waugh foresees a future where One-Day International (ODI) cricket is largely reserved for major tournaments.

The tournament will begin on December 15, with hosts Malaysia taking on Sri Lanka in the opening game, followed by the India-Pakistan clash later in the day.

1. Can Vitamin D supplements reduce blood pressure? New study's findings are promising  The Times of India
2. Vitamin D Supplements Linked with Reducing High Blood Pressure  Healthline
3. The £4 supplement that could slash blood pressure - reducing stroke, dementia and heart attack risk  Daily Mail
4. Vitamin D Supplements Could Help Lower Blood Pressure in Obese People  Therogersvillereview
5. Vitamin D can lower blood pressure in obese adults, study  Daily Jang

1. Donald Trump appoints Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy to lead Dept of Government Efficiency | World News | Onmanorama  Onmanorama
2. DOGE days are coming for the US under Trump's two Musketeers  The Times of India
3. Donald Trump calls Elon Musk's department the 'Manhattan Project', know what was this project  India.com
4. When Vivek Ramaswamy was 18: School speech emerges as he readies for DOGE role  India Today
5. Internet reacts as Elon Musk debuts ‘super cute’ logo of Department of Government Efficiency: ‘What a time to be alive’  Hindustan Times

The drug war under the administration of President Marcos has netted P40.32 billion worth of illegal drugs, the Philippine National Police reported yesterday.

'L-Istorja, Int' (History, You), will be the theme for the 50th anniversary celebrations for Malta's Republic Day

“We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives and that resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere," The Guardian explained.

There was a shift in her that many of us could relate to, a feeling that the events of Oct. 7 had flipped a switch within, prioritizing Jewish identity in ways that hadn’t been fully realized before.

• Govt objects to repeal of prison rules for PTI founder
• Imran booked in 54 cases across Punjab, LHC told

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday disposed of pre-arrest bail petitions of eight PTI activists in the case regarding an attack on the Lahore corps commander’s residence after police declared them innocent in the investigation.

ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill was hearing the bail petitions of 32 activists when a prosecutor stated that a joint investigation team (JIT), formed to probe the May 9 incidents, had exonerated eight of the petitioners for lack of evidence.

At this, the lawyer for the activists sought the court permission to withdraw their bail petitions.

The judge adjourned the bail petitions of other activists till Dec 11 and 13, asking them to join the JIT investigation.

The judge allowed the request and disposed of the petitions of Tanzila Imran, Ri­­zwana Ghazanfar, Makiya Saeed, Shah­baz Amir Ali, Farooq Ahmad, Usman Naveed, Zirk Khan and Mian Ahmad Rehman.

Sarwar Road police of Lahore had registered a case against PTI leaders and workers for attacking the Lahore corps commander house, also known as Jinnah House, on May 9 last year.

Separately, ATC-III Judge Arshad Javed adjourned the hearing of post-arrest bail petitions by the PTI leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, in May 9 cases.

The judge directed the petitioners’ lawyers to conclude their arguments on the next hearing; otherwise, the petitions would be decided on the basis of police record.

The judge postponed the pleas of Rasheed till Nov 12, Dr Yasmin till Nov 13 & 16, and Qureshi till Nov 19.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, issued a notice to Advocate Sher Afzal Marwat on whose petition the section was set aside, seeking his response.

Prison rules

Meanwhile, a two-member division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up the petition of the chief commissioner Islamabad against setting aside of Section 265 of the Punjab Prison Rules that prohibits political discussion during prisoner meetings with visitors.

The plea contested Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan’s verdict, which had struck down Section 265.

Advocate General Islamabad Ayaz Shaukat argued that the IHC lacked jurisdiction to intervene in Punjab’s laws and maintained that the single bench did not have the authority to nullify provisions in the Punjab Prison Rules.

Chief Justice Farooq asked, “So, you are saying that the Islamabad High Court cannot interfere in any provincial law?”

Justice Imtiaz noted that the Punjab Prison Rules are also applicable to prisoners in Isla­mabad, suggesting an overlap in jurisdiction.

The CJ inquired whether a formal notice under Section 27A was issued to the attorney general or the advocate general by the single bench, a requirement before declaring any law invalid.

While the advocate general said he had been summoned, he acknowledged that a formal notice was not issued.

Advocate General Shaukat requested the immediate suspension of the single bench’s decision, but Chief Justice Farooq scheduled a formal hearing for the next week.

Justice Farooq Haider was hearing a petition filed by Imran’s sister, Noreen Niazi, challenging the non-disclosure of the cases’ details against her brother.

Cases against Imran

Also on Tuesday, Punjab Police told the La­­­hore High Court that 54 criminal cases, in­­cluding those related to May 9, had been registered against PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in different cities of the province.

An additional advocate general presented a report on behalf of the inspector general of police, revealing that 21 cases were registered in Lahore, 19 in Rawalpindi, seven in Sheikhupura, five in Faisalabad and one each in Gujranwala and Mianwali.

The cases include attacks on the Jinnah House, Askari Tower at Liberty Roundabout, General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and office of an intelligence agency in Faisalabad. A law officer for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) sought additional time to provide details of the cases, if any, against Imran Khan.

The judge allowed the request and adjourned further hearing till Nov 20.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

The Japanese government on Wednesday approved a grant worth $18.5 million for the construction of three embankments on the Indus River in Haripur district and rain metres at 45 sites along the river in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab for effective flood management.

In 2022, Pakistan witnessed the worst floods in its history, which claimed 1,700 lives, destroyed homes and livestock, washed away swathes of agricultural land, affected 33 million people, and incurred losses worth $30 billion, according to government estimates.

“The Government of Japan has approved a grant amounting to JPY 2.831 billion (US$ 18.5 million) for a Grant-in-Aid project titled ‘Flood Management Enhancement in the Indus Basin’ to the Government of Pakistan through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA),” a statement from the Ministry of Economic Affairs said on Wednesday.

“The project aims to improve the accuracy of flood forecasts and flood control functions, accumulate basic data that contribute to disaster risk reduction measures, and reduce the risk of loss to humans and the economy, including infrastructure.”

The three embankments constructed under the project grant will protect local communities from potential human and economic losses including infrastructure. The data from the water and rain metres, managed by the Federal Flood Commission and Water and Power Development Authority, will be shared with various agencies to help predict and manage potential floods.

“The scope of the project is to develop a hydrological and hydraulic observation network besides rehabilitating the river structures damaged by the 2022 floods in the Indus River and its tributaries,” the statement added.

Economic Affairs Secretary Dr Kazim Niaz and Ambassador of Japan to Pakistan Wada Mitsuhiro signed the agreement in Islamabad today.

Ambassador Wada, while speaking at the signing ceremony, expressed the hope that the project would provide reassurance to the people of Pakistan regarding possible future floods.

“Japan remains committed to providing assistance that will directly benefit vulnerable people of Pakistan,” the envoy said.

In Oct, Pakistan and Japan had finalised an agreement for the procurement and installation of 45 telemetry stations and five automatic weather stations for improved flood forecasting and weather monitoring systems.

The project was part of the larger Rs200bn worth of Flood Protection Programme being jointly financed by the federal and provincial governments with the support of international lenders.

Dutch parliamentarians clashed on Wednesday in a heated debate to discuss the attacks on Israeli fans after a football match last week, with some lawmakers pointing fingers and others urging unity.

The Netherlands is still dealing with the political fallout from last week’s violence in Amsterdam, when fans of Tel Aviv Maccabi were assaulted by men on scooters in several parts of the capital.

Five Macabi fans were briefly hospitalised after being beaten up following a match with the local Ajax team last Thursday, in what Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof termed an incident of “unadulterated anti-Semitism”.

After the match, groups of men on scooters engaged in “hit-and-run” attacks on Maccabi fans in areas of the city.

Police said the attackers were mobilised by calls on social media to target Jewish people.

Far-right MP Geert Wilders, leader of the biggest party in the coalition government, said the perpetrators of the violence against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were “all Muslims” and “for the most part Moroccans”.

The anti-Islam Wilders called for the attackers to be prosecuted “for terrorism.”

“For the first time since the Second World War there was a hunt on Jews,” Wilders said, adding “I am sick of being criticised when I tell the truth.”

But the firebrand MP drew the ire of opposition parties, who accused him of “adding fuel to fire”.

‘Dividing the country’

While unanimously condemning the violence, left-wing parties have called for dialogue with the Muslim community instead of “dividing the country”.

“I share the condemnation of the violence in Amsterdam and yes, there was indeed anti-Semitic violence,” left-wing opposition leader Frans Timmermans said.

“You are simply stoking the fires while this country has a need for politicians to unite people and find solutions,” Timmermans told Wilders.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema on Tuesday called the attacks a “poisonous cocktail” of anti-Semitism and hooliganism.

Events ahead of the match heightened tensions, including anti-Arab chants by Maccabi fans, who also set fire to a Palestinian flag on the city’s central square and vandalising a taxi.

After the match, which passed off peacefully, reports emerged of social media calls to attack Jews, Amsterdam police said.

The violence took place against the backdrop of an increasingly polarised Europe, with heightened tensions following a rise in antisemitic, anti-Israeli and Islamophobic attacks since the start of the Gaza conflict.

The Dutch PM indicated that the government would present concrete steps to tackle antisemitism on Friday.

Eight people remained in custody over the violence.

A US government employee has been indicted for leaking classified national defence information, according to federal court records unsealed on Wednesday.

The indictment, charging Asif William Rahman with two counts of willfully transmitting classified information, does not provide details about the nature of the leak.

However, it says the leak occurred on or about October 17.

That was around the time that a pro-Iranian Telegram account called “Middle East Spectator” published what appeared to be a pair of documents produced by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency which shared information about Israel’s preparations for an attack on Iran.

The intelligence in the documents was based on satellite imagery from Oct 15 to 16.

In a previous statement, the Middle East Spectator said it had received the documents through an anonymous source, and that it had no connection to the original leaker nor could it verify the authenticity of the documents.

The FBI in October confirmed it was investigating who had leaked the documents.

According to the indictment, which is dated November 7, investigators believe the leak took place in Cambodia.

Rahman was arrested in Cambodia on Nov 12, and is expected to make an initial court appearance in a federal court in Guam on Nov 14 before he is transferred to stand trial in the Eastern District of Virginia.

1. Oncologist stabbed at Chennai govt hospital ‘by 26-year-old whose mother is undergoing cancer treatment’  The Indian Express
2. Video: Chennai man calmly walks away after stabbing doctor, wipes knife  India Today
3. Indian Medical Association condemns brutal attack on doctor in Chennai  The New Indian Express
4. Daylight assault on doctor inside Chennai hospital leaves medical fraternity in shock  The Hindu
5. 'No law and order': BJP, AIADMK attack ruling DMK after government doctor stabbed in Chennai  The Times of India

1. 'Massive downsizing': Vivek Ramaswamy reveals how he will ensure government efficiency under Trump  The Times of India
2. DOGE days are coming for the US under Trump's two Musketeers  The Times of India
3. Trump picks Musk, Ramaswamy to run new dept of govt efficiency  Hindustan Times
4. When Vivek Ramaswamy was 18: School speech emerges as he readies for DOGE role  India Today
5. Explained: How Musk's US Government Efficiency Panel Might Work  NDTV

1. How Yogi Adityanath government reacted to Supreme Court's 'bulldozer justice' ruling  Moneycontrol
2. How the Supreme Court clamped down on ‘bulldozer’ demolition drives | Explained  The Hindu
3. Officers Carrying Out Illegal Demolitions Liable To Restore Properties At Personal Cost & Pay Damages:...  Live Law - Indian Legal News
4. Supreme Court's Demolition Verdict Will Help Curb Organised Crime: UP  NDTV
5. SC parked bulldozer in garage forever: Akhilesh Yadav  Hindustan Times

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming industries and is now accessible to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). According to Forbes, 91% of SMBs that have implemented AI report improved business success. The benefits of AI extend beyond enhanced customer experiences to include significant cost savings, revenue growth and a competitive edge. However, the journey to effective AI implementation can be challenging for many businesses. Avoiding AI roadblocks For SMBs with limited resources,…

The government contractor's deal is part of a growing strategy focused on acquiring other firms.

12 men and three women, aged between 19 and 63, were arrested for various offences during a multi-agency enforcement operation against errant public entertainment outlets on Friday (Nov 8) night. The offences include working without a valid work permit, suspected drink driving, driving without a valid license and insurance, suspected consumption and possession of controlled drugs, and the possession of scheduled weapons.  Members of the media, including AsiaOne, were invited to observe the enforcement operations, led by Bedok Police Division, in Joo Chiat on Friday night.  The enforcement operation is part of their ongoing efforts to clamp down on illicit activities and regulatory offences in the area, said the police in a statement on Wednesday. Upon arriving at the scene just after midnight on Saturday, members of the media were led to the second floor of the first KTV outlet.