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Instruments and Narratives of Indian Cultural Diplomacy

In addition to promoting Indian culture abroad and deepening cultural ties, the Council administers educational quotas for foreign students. Each year, the Ministry of Education allocates several thousand places to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Council, generally ranging from 3,000 to 6,000. These places are distributed across general disciplines, as well as allocated to specific countries—special quotas exist for citizens of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, African countries, and…

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Supreme Court to Review Whether Title IX Allows Employee Discrimination Claims

Quick Hits The Supreme Court will determine if employees at federally funded educational institutions can bring sex-discrimination in employment claims under Title IX. The petitioners asked the high court to review an Eleventh Circuit decision, holding that Title IX does not provide a private right of action for employment-related sex discrimination. Petitioners argued that there is a “lopsided” 8–3 circuit split on the issue. On May 18, 2026, the Supreme…

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Colorado Enacts Artificial Intelligence Replacement Law

Seyfarth Synopsis:  On May 14, 2026, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed SB 26‑189, which replaces the state’s previous AI law with a streamlined framework focused on transparency and disclosure. Effective January 1, 2027, the new law imposes targeted obligations on developers and deployers of automated decision‑making technology used in consequential decisions (including employment processes), requiring advance notice, post‑decision disclosures, and certain consumer rights. The law centralizes enforcement with the Colorado…

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Immigration Adjustment of Status Applications Are a Matter of Discretion, USCIS Reaffirms

Quick Hits USCIS releases new policy memorandum stating adjustment of status (AOS) applications are a matter of discretion and administrative grace, directing USCIS offices to consider all factors and closely scrutinize applications from individuals who would otherwise obtain permanent residence through consular processing abroad. Applying for adjustment of status is not inherently inconsistent while maintaining nonimmigrant status in a dual-intent category, such as H-1B or L-1, but does not grant…

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Institutional Investor Insights: ILPA Organizational Expense Guidance

Overview On May 13, 2026, the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) published guidance regarding organizational expense management and alignment considerations between limited partners (LPs) and general partners (GPs). ILPA’s The Alignment Gap: Rethinking Costs in Private Equity Fund Formation addresses existing market practices in which LPs typically bear organizational costs, while GPs retain discretion over the related processes and service providers. Background Organizational expenses -  legal, administrative, and compliance costs…

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India’s Strategy and Long-Term Instability in the Middle East Region

The geopolitical landscape of the Middle East in 2026 is defined by systemic fragmentation and compound crises. The overt diplomatic rupture between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), running concurrently with the US-Israeli military intervention in Iran, designated ‘Operation Epic Fury’, has dismantled historical alliances and disrupted global energy markets. For the Republic of India, the Middle East is not merely a peripheral theater but a…

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Physical activity as important as medication for keeping older people healthy and happy, MPs say

Boosting resilience to illness, frailty and falls through physical activity will be key to keeping the country’s ageing population healthy and living independently for longer., the MPs said.This change will be fundamental to the Government’s objective of switching the NHS’s focus from treating illness to preventing it The report follows the cross-party Committee’s Healthy Ageing inquiry and recommends:Advice and social prescribing of physical activity should become a core, routine offering to…

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Understanding Legal Compliance for Paid Holidays

Quick Hits There are eleven federal holidays in 2026. Private employers are not legally obligated to provide paid holidays. Work performed by hourly, nonexempt employees on a holiday is compensable. Although federal law does not require private businesses to provide paid holidays, many companies voluntarily recognize certain federal holidays as paid holidays in order to boost recruiting, retention, and morale. Some companies choose to include paid holidays within their combined…

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Can provincial courts decide tax matters? Alberta clarifies Income Tax Act jurisdiction

The recent decision of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta in 2585929 Alberta Ltd (Re), 2026 ABKB 75 discusses when the jurisdiction of provincial courts can extend to matters relating to the Income Tax Act. Key takeaways The Tax Court of Canada has the exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine references and appeals to the Court on matters arising under the Income Tax Act. Provincial courts can interpret provisions of…

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The Heat is On: After Magyar’s Victory in Hungary, Pressure on Serbia-Russia Energy Cooperation Goes Up

In defence of their decision not to harmonize with the EU on sanctions against Moscow, Belgrade officials often cited Russia’s support in the UN Security Council on Kosovo and the almost complete reliance on Russian gas. Thus, on both issues, Brussels, Berlin, London and Washington pressed hard. On Kosovo, the West’s aim was to push Serbia towards accepting self-inflicting agreements, which would make Moscow’s support in the UNSC irrelevant, while…

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Russia and Africa: Partnership or Aid?

On May 21, the Valai Club held an expert discussion titled “Russia and African States: Objectives of Partnership”. Oleg Barabanov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club, moderated the discussion.  Denis Degterev, Editor-in-Chief of the Scientific Notes of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor at the Higher School of Economics, and Chief Researcher at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of…

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TTA AI maturity: from ambition to impact

AI adoption is accelerating, but value isn’t – what 70+ organisations globally are doing, and what this means for you This report explores why many organisations are struggling to scale AI beyond experimentation, despite growing investment and adoption. Drawing on insights from 70+ organisations globally, it highlights the operational, cultural, and governance barriers limiting impact, alongside the approaches leading organisations are using to embed AI successfully and deliver measurable enterprise value.…

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Pioneers and Pathfinders: Dr. Larry Richard Returns

Today's guest, Dr. Larry Richard, practiced as a trial attorney for 10 years before earning a PhD in organizational psychology. Today, he is a leading expert on why lawyers behave the way they do. For over 30 years, Dr. Richard has been researching how lawyers behave and why. He founded LawyerBrain LLC, which advises the leaders of major law firms on the human side of running a practice—things like culture, leadership,…

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SCOTUS Sides With Pension Fund in Withdrawal Liability Calculation Dispute

Quick Hits In M&K Employee Solutions v. Trustees of the IAM National Pension Fund, the Supreme Court recently concluded that actuaries for multiemployer pension funds can calculate the liability for employers withdrawing from the plan by using the assumptions that are in effect on or after the measurement date. Four employers that exited the IAM National Pension Fund sued over the way their unfunded vested benefits were valued. The Employee…

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Québec’s AMF lays out its expectations for the use of AI

The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) has recently published its Guideline for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (the Guideline) aimed at the financial sector, which will come into force in about a year, on May 1, 2027. This Guideline is the first to be issued by a provincial financial sector regulator on the use of artificial intelligence. It adds to the growing number of regulatory expectations from other financial sector…

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University of Manchester techbio spin-out secures £5 million to deploy quantum physics, AI modelling, and highly automated labs to power next gen enzyme engineering

A Manchester-based techbio company using AI and quantum physics to engineer better enzymes faster, has closed a £5 million seed funding round led by PXN Ventures with participation from Imperagen’s existing investors IQ Capital and Northern Gritstone.The raise brings Imperagen's total funding to £8.5 million and will accelerate research and development, expand its wet lab capabilities, and build out its go-to-market function over the next 18 months.Coinciding with the round Guy Levy-Yurista,…

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Who Gets to Shape Healthcare?

Transcript Harlan Krumholz: Welcome to Health & Veritas. I’m Harlan Krumholz.Howard Forman: And I’m Howie Forman. We’re physicians and professors at Yale University, and we’re trying to get close to the truth about health and healthcare. Ordinarily, we have a guest. Once a month we go into the studio, we catch up on the incredible volume of news around us. This week we are taping a little bit early because…

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Tennessee Bans Noncompetes for Workers Making Less Than $70,000 Annually

Quick Hits On May 7, 2026, Tennessee Governor Lee signed into law legislation that bans noncompete agreements for workers who earn less than $70,000 per year. The law will apply to agreements entered into, renewed, or amended on or after July 1, 2026. Noncompetes executed after July 1, 2026 for employees who do not meet the minimum annualized compensation will be void and unenforceable. Under House Bill (HB) 1034, total…

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Canada’s proposed Financial Crimes Agency: A new era of financial crime enforcement

On April 27, 2026, the federal government introduced Bill C-29, An Act to establish the Financial Crimes Agency. If enacted, the legislation will create a new, stand alone federal law enforcement body dedicated to investigate complex financial crimes, contribute to the recovery of the proceeds of crime, and participate in international efforts to counter financial crimes. The proposal reflects growing concern that existing enforcement frameworks have struggled to keep pace…

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Two CRUK Manchester Institute Clinician Scientists elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences

The Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences comprises some of the UK’s leading medical researchers, each of whom has made substantial contributions to advancing patient health and care through research.Election to the Academy recognises excellence in science, leadership and the translation of research into real-world impact. This year we’re celebrating two such additions to the Academy - Professor Samra Turajlić and Professor Tim Somervaille of the Cancer Research UK…

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The Baltic Region: Darkness Before the Dawn?

On May 20, the Vaidai Club held an expert discussion titled “The Baltic Region: Risks of Military-Political Escalation”. Moderator Ivan Timofeev listed the main security threats in the region. These, he noted, include Russia's close proximity to NATO, the proximity of their borders, the general climate of hostility and increasing aggressive rhetoric, the remilitarisation of the Baltic states, increased NATO defence spending, and threats directed against the Kaliningrad region and…

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Q5 welcomes Helen Kewell as Associate Partner

Q5 strengthens organisational transformation and leadership capability with Associate Partner hire, Helen Kewell Q5 has appointed Helen Kewell as Associate Partner, strengthening its expertise in organisational transformation, culture and leadership development. With more than 25 years’ experience across multiple sectors, Helen brings deep expertise in behaviour change and organisational effectiveness, helping clients build healthier, more connected and higher-performing organisations through sustainable transformation. Reading time: 3 minutes Helen joins Q5 as…

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Fifth Circuit Rules Employee’s Conduct, Not Pregnancy, Drove Firing

Quick Hits The Fifth Circuit rejected a plaintiff’s argument that the employer’s statement, “[Y]ou’re about to go on leave so … I can’t lose two people when you’re going to be taking leave soon,” constituted direct evidence of discrimination as it was too attenuated. The Fifth Circuit analyzed the plaintiff’s pregnancy discrimination claim under both the “but-for” and “mixed-motive” causation standards and found her evidence insufficient under either standard. The…

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U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs update: Relief, more of the same or more extreme industrial policy?

The world of tariffs used to be sedate and boring. There were times in the Times Before when glaciers appeared more agile than trade policy. Those days, of course, are gone. We can hope not for ever; we can look into the horizon and pine for a Return to the Mundane. For now, change is the order of the day. Rapid, dizzying, change – it’s difficult to keep up; even…

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Webinar – Fair Hiring in Focus: Background Checks, AI, and Emerging Compliance Risks

Tuesday, May 19, 20263:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Mountain12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Pacific About the Program Recent developments in background screening, fair hiring laws, and the use of artificial intelligence in employment decisions continue to create significant compliance challenges for employers nationwide. Expanding Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) theories, increased regulatory scrutiny, and evolving state and local fair chance…

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Fifth Circuit: When Telework Isn’t a Reasonable Accommodation

Quick Hits On May 8, 2026, the Fifth Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision to dismiss a disability discrimination claim because the plaintiff could not return to work in person, which was one of the essential functions of the job. The employer satisfied its obligation to provide a reasonable accommodation by offering telework two to three days a week, which the employee rejected. The employee’s inability to perform the essential…

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The “deal”: U.S. “Reciprocal Trade Agreements” in Southeast Asia

In Episode Four of the “Tariff Home Companion” – BLG’s trade and tariff podcast  – we heard about business concerns over the continued lack of certainty in Canada-U.S. trade relations. These concerns are real. As we have chronicled over the past fifteen months, that lack of certainty arose, in the first place, when the United States announced the imposition of punishing tariffs on Canadian exports, ostensibly because of lack of…

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Substandard bowel cancer care for people with learning disability highlighted

People with a learning disability are at higher risk of developing bowel cancer, yet face significant barriers at nearly every stage of the care pathway, University of Manchester and Christie NHS Foundation Trust have found.The population-based study of more than two million people showed individuals with an intellectual disability are more likely to develop bowel cancer, especially before the age of 50.Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care…

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MSHA’s 2027 Budget Proposal Signals Leaner Staffing, Tech-focused Enforcement

Quick Hits MSHA’s FY 2027 budget justification seeks nearly a 10 percent funding cut while preserving core inspection duties and shifting resources toward training, regulation, data analytics, and technology. The proposal would reduce funded staffing through attrition, eliminate the Brookwood-Sago mine safety grants program, and pursue AI tools for inspectors. Mine operators can expect MSHA to maintain regular inspections despite fewer enforcement positions. Overall, MSHA is requesting nearly a 10…

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Plead carefully: SCC clarifies cause of action estoppel and limits on relitigation

In Patrick Street Holdings Ltd. v. 11368 NL Inc., 2026 SCC 15, the Supreme Court of Canada held that cause of action estoppel barred the appellant from advancing a new theory in a second proceeding to support its entitlement to mortgage proceeds. The Court’s decision is an important reminder that litigants must bring forward all reasonably available arguments in the first proceeding, and subsequent attempts to relitigate the same underlying cause of action will…

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Solving Operational Problems Is the Real Engine of CarMax’s Success

Austin Ligon co-founded CarMax in 1991 as an executive at Circuit City and served as president and CEO of the spun-off company until 2006. Today he is an angel investor and advisor to retail, service, and educational startups.Q: Where did the idea for CarMax come from?We were looking for areas that no big-box retailer had put effort into. Automobiles were obvious, but new cars are heavily controlled by franchise laws…

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Russia and Central Asia in Greater Eurasia: From an Action Plan to a Working Architecture

Climate and Water: A Topic Which Deserves More Attention The transport agenda is articulated in detail in political discourse. Climate and water are significantly less significant, and this imbalance seems difficult to explain: in terms of the scale of long-term consequences, it is the water issue that is comparable to trade and transport. Since 1930, Central Asian glaciers have lost approximately 30 percent of their area. According to estimates made…

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The Pennine hills are full of holes – here’s how they’re helping fight climate change

Thousands of holes are appearing in the Pennine hills, as part of efforts to improve carbon storage by restoring damaged peatland.Peat itself is carbon rich and so as it grows it will help to capture the CO₂ that is produced by industrial fossil fuel use that is warming the atmosphere.Meanwhile, damaged or drained peatlands turn into a carbon source, releasing greenhouses gases themselves. About 15% of the world’s peatlands have…

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Booking site crackdown failed to cut online hotel prices – but unlocked cheaper deals offline

A major French policy designed to make hotel prices more competitive online may not have worked as intended, but it did unlock cheaper deals for customers booking directly with hotels.A new study of European hotel markets finds that banning ‘price parity clauses’ – rules which stop hotels from offering lower prices outside major booking platforms – had little impact on publicly advertised online prices.Instead, savings appeared in less visible places…

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German Federal Labor Court Rules on Right to Information in Suspected Gender Pay Bias

Quick Hits Under German labor law, employees claiming unequal treatment in relation to a “comparator” must specifically demonstrate in court that they perform the same or equivalent work as the comparator. Anyone seeking to sue for “equal hourly wages” must specifically demonstrate the number of working hours on which their own monthly salary is based; without a verifiable gross hourly wage for the plaintiff, a comparison with the comparator’s gross…

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Loose lips sink ships: SCC upholds restrictions on Parliamentarians’ right to disclose national security information

In Alford v. Canada (Attorney General), 2026 SCC 14, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the constitutional validity of the limit on parliamentary privilege imposed by s. 12 of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians Act, S.C. 2017, c. 15 (the NSICOP Act). Section 12 prohibits members of Parliament and the Senate who sit on the committee established by the NSICOP Act from claiming immunity based on parliamentary privilege…

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Military Stress Test: The War on Iran and BRICS Institutional Reform Combat injury or a disability?

If the bloc fails to propose an alternative security model (not necessarily a military alliance, but a diplomatic platform for conflict prevention), its less influential members and partner countries will begin seeking guarantees individually from the United States or China. BRICS would then become a declarative club, while real influence would shift to bilateral alliances—particularly if the West, driven by a survival instinct (a determination to prolong its dominance and…

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Q5 wins Better Society Award

Recognising the power of giving back together We are proud to have been named Pro Bono Company of the Year at the Better Society Awards 2026. The award recognises the commitment, energy and expertise of Q5ers across the globe who continue to use their skills to create meaningful impact through pro bono work, community partnerships and social impact initiatives. Reading time: 2 minutes We have been named winner of the…

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