The Loop: An Australian breakthrough in quantum computing, a report of sexual assault in the mining industry and which dog won Westminster’s Best in Show

Hi there. This is Thursday, June 23, and you’re reading The Loop, a quick summary of today’s news.

Let’s start here: there was an Australian computing breakthrough

An Australian company has made a significant breakthrough in the race to create ultra-powerful devices quantum computers.

In a world first, his quantum computer was able to imitate nature thanks to a chip that integrates all the components of a classic computer chip, but at the atomic scale.

Principal Investigator Michelle Simmons AO from the University of New South Wales start-up Quantum computing on silicon says Patricia Karvelas of RN Breakfast that the technology had a large number of possible uses, including enabling the design of new materials, such as new types of drugs and molecules that could help boost the food supply.

“We really had to design things with atomic precision. We’re the only group in the world that can do that,” she said.

“It really allows us to try to imitate nature and understand how nature works, so that we can design new materials that haven’t existed before and understand some things that we’ve never been able to make, like high-temperature superconductors.”

Meet the team that made it all possible:

Today we heard a lot about wages

Earlier this week, Reserve Bank Governor Phillip Lowe warned that wage increases above 3.5% – half of the 7% inflation forecast by the end of the year – could force the RBA to tighten interest rates and prolong high inflation .

“3.5% is kind of the anchor that I want people to keep in mind,” Dr. Lowe said in his speech.

Sally McManussecretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, criticized these comments todayclaiming the RBA was out of touch and living in “baby boomer fantasyland” if it believed workers could afford real wage cuts.

The union boss said Dr Lowe changed his tone in his pay speech on Tuesday.

‘He was the one who said that as long as wages follow inflation and productivity, they are not inflationary,’ she told RN Breakfast.

The RBA’s view on wage growth – that workers may need to cut their real wages to avoid high inflation – has been backed by the employment minister Tony Burk.

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News you may have missed

• A parliamentary inquiry into sexual assault and harassment within WA fly-in fly-out mining industry found that women were subjected to “an appalling range of behavior”. The report details stories of several women being sexually assaulted and reveals that sexual harassment remains prevalent in the industry. The report makes 24 recommendations, including the overhaul of reporting and training in the sector

• The trial of a man who pleaded not guilty to raping a former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins has been postponed to october. ACT Chief Justice Lucy McCallum had said publicity and social media commentary surrounding the case meant the man’s right to the presumption of innocence had been overlooked.

Here’s what Australia searched online

• Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said his country’s indebted economy has “completely collapsed” after months of shortages of food, fuel and electricity. He told parliament that Sri Lanka ‘faces a much more serious situation’ beyond these shortages

• The NBA Draft. The National Basketball Association’s annual draft takes place Friday morning (Australian time), with the Orlando Magic picking the best new talent first, followed by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets. Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr and Chet Holmgren are the names to watch – the three freshmen are considered the best players available

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One more thing: Look who won Best in Show!

Sound the trumpets, for a very good boy named Trumpet just won the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in the USA.

Look at this magnificent specimen:

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The first bloodhound to win the show, Trumpet beat a French bulldog called Winston to win the Best in Show trophy.

Nice effort, Winston.

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You are up to date!

We’ll be back tomorrow after rewatching the Best In Show of the 2000s.

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ABC/son