The uncertainty at the start of 2025 as to the United States transfer (gift and estate) tax exemption has been resolved with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “Act”) signed into law on July 4, 2025. The increased exemption ($13.99 million per person in 2025), established under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was scheduled to expire at the end of this year, reverting back…
Quick Hits Under the new California “Workplace Know Your Rights Act,” employers must provide a stand-alone written notice to employees by February 1, 2026, detailing workers’ compensation, immigration-related protections, union organizing rights, and other key legal rights. The California labor commissioner has provided a template notice in English and Spanish, with plans to offer additional translations in several other languages soon. Employers must distribute the notice to current employees by…
Over the weekend, the US carried out a surprise military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, who is regarded as having ruled illegitimately after disputed elections.This came after months of a major US military build-up in the region, including ships such as USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest warship, numerous aircraft, and 15,000 troops.Maduro, whose illegitimacy was accompanied by years of repression and human rights…
Though uncommon in women with an average risk, existing research shows that roughly half to three-quarters of women with a high genetic risk of ovarian cancer currently choose surgical removal of the ovaries.Despite evidence suggesting a prolonged window between pre-cancer lesions inside the fallopian tube and more serious cancer in the ovaries and other tissues, there are currently no clinical tests available to help detect these early pre-cancer changes without…
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. Today, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Zeke Emanuel, and we have a lot to ask him, so I’m going to turn it over to you, Harlan.Harlan Krumholz: Just as you say, Howie, this is…
Physicists at the University of Oxford have contributed to a new study which has found that iron-rich asteroids can tolerate far more energy than previously thought without breaking apart - a breakthrough with direct implications for planetary defence strategies. The findings have been published in Nature Communications. The Campo del Cielo iron meteorite used in the study. Credit: Eric Halwax. Recent missions such as NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART),…
6 January 2026By David Barkhausen, Gabriel Glöckler and Stefan RuhkampCentral banks often struggle to make themselves understood to the wider public. Visuals can help to change this. The ECB Blog travels across the globe to showcase the creative ways in which central banks communicate monetary policy.In today’s world, a wealth of information meets with a poverty of attention. Central banks are special in many ways, but they cannot escape the…
This commentary originally appeared in Fortune. The views expressed are the author’s own.Business leaders awoke on Saturday to a new reality in the aftermath of the successful U.S. military capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who were dragged from their bedroom in the early morning hours. The couple was asleep at their home inside the heavily guarded Fort Tiuna military complex until they were seized by…
Keep big ideas in your back pocketJulia DiBenigno, Professor of Organizational BehaviorThe last year has been volatile. Turbulent periods often prompt us to hunker down and wait for stability to return. Yet these moments can also open windows for meaningful change. As the writer Vivian Greene observed, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”In research and work with organizations…
Dr Carissa Véliz Everywhere I look there is talk about AI and digital technology. It’s not only that I work in this field. Chatter about AI follows me at dinner parties, the conversations of strangers in restaurants and public transport, it’s on the radio, podcasts of every kind, and on every morning show on TV.Tech enthusiasts talk about AI like nothing more important has ever happened in history, like it…
Quick Hits The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main (Oberlandesgericht – OLG) recently held that termination of a managing director without notice is effective if the director granted inadmissible salary benefits to works council members outside the department. The managing director’s claims to bonuses and remuneration are valid until termination takes effect. The Case The employee had worked as a managing director of a municipal public transportation company since…
Humanity not only has hope for a better future, but simply needs this better future. Otherwise, there won’t be any future at all, writes Valdai Club Chairman Andrey Bystritskiy. The year 2025 began and ended on the same sober note: a persistent, if fragile, hope for a better future. While good things are indeed happening, they are neither numerous enough nor swift enough for our wishes. Thus, we are left…
Quick Hits Several new state laws that took effect January 1, 2026, significantly impact employer compliance in areas such as wage and hour regulations, leave administration, and workplace notices, requiring multistate employers to update policies and procedures accordingly. Notable changes include California’s expansion of leave protections for crime victims and the introduction of the mini-WARN Act, Illinois’s new human rights protections for artificial intelligence, and Pennsylvania’s CROWN Act. California Crime…
Quick Hits Registered mail is not prima facie evidence of receipt of a letter, the Hamburg Regional Labor Court recently ruled. After renewed illness, employers must enable employees to undergo a workplace integration management program. The Case—Reintegration of an Employee on Long-term Sick Leave The dispute concerned the validity of a dismissal due to illness. The employer had sent the frequently ill employee an invitation to participate in the employer’s…
Quick Hits Colorado lawmakers amended the FAMLI program to provide an additional twelve weeks of paid leave for employees to care for a child in neonatal intensive care. The premium payments for FAMLI will decrease to 0.88 percent of a worker’s wages in 2026. These changes will take effect on January 1, 2026. Under Colorado’s FAMLI program, employers started paying premiums in 2023, and employees were eligible for FAMLI leave…
Quick Hits CBP updated the Carrier Liaison Program on December 18, 2025. The new list of countries exempt from the six-month passport validity rule has been issued. Citizens of these countries need only have a passport valid for their intended period of stay in the United States. Understanding the Six-Month Passport Validity Rule The six-month passport validity rule requires visitors traveling to the United States to possess passports that are…
On December 19, 2025, New York Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed legislation that would have restored the original, broader scope of the New York Limited Liability Company Transparency Act (the “NY LLCTA”). As a result, the NY LLCTA will apply only to non-US limited liability companies authorized to do business in New York, when it takes effect on January 1, 2026. Background and Legislative Context The NY LLCTA largely tracks (with…
Quick Hits Businesses in the hospitality industry may want to ensure they are complying with state service charge laws, which often encompass both consumer and employment regulations. In 2025, several states, including California, Colorado, Florida, and Massachusetts, enacted laws regulating or prohibiting automatic service charges, emphasizing clear disclosure and transparency to protect consumers and employees. A service charge is not a tip or gratuity, and if the service charge is…
Quick Hits The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act), which was enacted in 2025, eliminated taxes on tips and overtime through 2028, prompting the IRS to issue guidance that underscores the importance of employer compliance with tip laws. Employers taking a tip credit under the FLSA must provide specific notice to employees about their direct wage, tip credit amount, and tip retention rules, with failure to comply potentially resulting…
In 2025, the anticipated rise of middle powers continued, but it was eclipsed by another event: a powerful impulse for the entire system’s reconfiguration, emanating from a leading economic and military power. The decisive turn of the United States toward a policy of sovereign egoism under the leadership of Donald Trump forced every country and region to define its place within this new, unpredictable configuration. At the inception of our expert programme, “Globalisation and Sovereignty,” we expected to…
thumbnail_Tony Profile Pic Professor Tony Redmond is Founder of UK-Med and Professor Emeritus of International Emergency Medicine at The University of Manchester. He is recognised for his exceptional and long-term contributions to healthcare and humanitarian response, both in the UK and internationally. As a world-leading specialist in emergency medicine and the founder of UK-Med, he has played a pivotal role in coordinating the deployment of UK health workers to international…
Quick Hits On 18 December 2025, the European Commission announced that it expects all EU member states to complete implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive by the 7 June 2026 deadline. Employers that fail to comply with the obligations of the directive risk regulatory sanctions. The question in Parliament followed the Netherlands’s announcement that they expect delays in its implementation of the directive until January 2027. However, the EC…
Quick Hits Under the UK Employment Rights Act, employers may introduce equality action plans on a voluntary basis in April 2026. From 1 January 2027, changes to gender pay gap reporting requirements for employers with 250 or more employees will make equality action plans mandatory. Plans must include measures to address gender pay gaps and details of the support offered to employees during menopause. Employers are not currently obligated to…
The King’s New Year Honours 2026 have been announced, marking the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the UK, including members of the University of Oxford. Professor Irene Tracey, CBE FRS FMedSci, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, said, ‘My warmest congratulations to all Oxford colleagues recognised in the New Year Honours. Their achievements embody the finest traditions of our University: rigorous scholarship, world-leading research, and a deep commitment to excellence and public service.’ The Rt Hon Lord Hague of Richmond has been appointed…
The profound transformation of modern international relations is reflected in the policy documents of many states seeking to rethink their place in the world. This is fully true of the new US National Security Strategy, approved in November 2025, writes Konstantin Khudoley, professor at the Faculty of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University. The Strategy delivers a harsh critique of the foreign policy pursued by every U.S. administration since…
Quick Hits DHS finalized a rule to replace the random H-1B selection process with a weighted, wage-level based system, effective February 27, 2026. The new rule prioritizes higher-paid foreign workers by giving them a greater chance of selection in the H-1B cap lottery, while still allowing entry-level workers to participate. USCIS will announce H-1B lottery registration dates at least thirty days in advance, and employers must provide accurate wage and…
Quick Hits New York’s “Trapped at Work Act” bans “stay or pay” agreements that require repayment of training costs if employees leave employment. The law applies to all workers, including employees and independent contractors, classifying repayment agreements for training costs as unconscionable and unenforceable. Employers may want to revise documents and agreements to ensure compliance, particularly regarding tuition assistance and training distinctions. The “Trapped at Work Act” (Article 37, N.Y.…
The Government of British Columbia has published the Restricted Insurance Agent Licence Regulation, introducing a new restricted licensing framework for businesses that sell insurance incidentally to their primary goods or services. Certain non-insurance businesses previously exempt from licensure must now apply for a Restricted Insurance Agency (RIA) Licence to continue selling eligible insurance products.to sell insurance products. The new regime will take effect January 1, 2027. This change represents a…
Quick Hits On December 15, 2025, New Jersey issued rules codifying disparate impact liability under the Law Against Discrimination (LAD) across various sectors, including employment, by clarifying that neutral practices with a disproportionately negative effect on protected classes could violate the law unless proven necessary for a legitimate business interest. The rules clarify a burden-shifting framework for disparate impact claims, requiring complainants to demonstrate impact and employers to provide empirical…
The Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC) Corporate Finance Division 2025 Annual Report (Report) provides essential updates, regulatory guidance, and emerging trends for reporting issuers and companies considering going public. Takeaways $58.4 Billion Raised in the Exempt Market. Institutional investors were the most significant investors in 2025; however, individuals contributed nearly $3 billion to the exempt market. The accredited investor exemption accounted for 90% of all exempt capital raised. Continuous Disclosure is…
On Nov. 20, 2025, the Capital Markets Tribunal (the Tribunal) dismissed an application by Katanga Mining Limited (Katanga) under s. 17 of the Securities Act (the Act) for authorization to disclose confidential investigative documents to its parent company, Glencore plc (Glencore) otherwise prohibited from disclosure under s. 16 of the Act, for use in ongoing civil proceedings before the U.K. High Court of Justice. The decision—Katanga Mining Limited v Ontario…
ASEAN countries are acutely aware of the complexity of the current conflict and have been making both multilateral and bilateral efforts to resolve it over the past four years. Laos: Both countries have historically supported each other. In 2024, direct flights between them were launched. The parties are interested in strengthening cooperation in various areas. To this end, friendship groups between them were established in 2025. On the Myanmar side, the Friendship Group with Laos was headed by Brigadier General Win…
Quick Hits Rather than simply amending the Labour Code, the Polish government plans to implement EU Pay Transparency Directive 2023/970 in a standalone piece of legislation. Employers will be obliged to go through a process of job evaluation, consisting of four core basic criteria. The plan will also see the introduction of a “Job Evaluation Tool.” A failure to comply with the changes may result in a fine of up…
The Federal Financial Institutions Legislative and Regulatory Reporter (the Reporter) provides a monthly summary of Canadian federal legislative and regulatory developments of relevance to federally regulated financial institutions. It does not address Canadian provincial financial services legislative and regulatory developments. In addition, purely technical and administrative changes (such as changes to reporting forms) are not covered. November 2025 Published Title and Brief Summary Status (if applicable) Office of the Superintendent…
Quick Hits The IRS recently declared it will not enforce tax and reporting requirements for state paid family and medical leave (PFML) benefits in 2026. Thirteen states and Washington, D.C., have enacted state-run paid family and medical leave programs. Under Revenue Ruling 2025-4, amounts paid to an employee under a state’s PFML program should be included in an employee’s gross income and are wages for federal employment tax purposes. However,…
The murky waters of the new digital economy are fertile ground for financial criminals: a careless click on a phishing link, or a single call to a gullible recipient can allow the threat actor to reel in the “catch of the day”, leaving numerous victims in their wake. Where the threat actor gains access to the victim’s email account and initiates payment to a vendor, who bears the loss between…
Another challenge is the uneven development of AI within the BRICS countries. China accounts for over 86% of the generative AI impact, while India, Brazil, and Russia together account for approximately 12%, and the other BRICS countries together account for only 2%. Therefore, for unification, it is especially important now to systematically expand the network of joint research centres, scale up technology and talent exchange programs, and invest in infrastructure…
Quick Hits The enhanced premium tax credits for individual health insurance from state-run exchanges or the federal exchange under the ACA will likely expire as Congress adjourns for the rest of the year without passing a measure to extend them. Employee demand for employer-sponsored health benefits will likely surge in 2026 if ACA premiums become unaffordable. It is unclear if Congress will pass a bill to revive the subsidies in…
In a recent article, BLG lawyers discussed the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta in the context of pipeline development, carbon management, and leveraging Alberta’s resources in pursuit of energy competitiveness. The MoU also signals some encouraging trends for proponents of data centres and AI infrastructure, which have been reinforced by provincial legislation and policy developments including the recently-introduced Bill 8. Electricity…
Quick Hits On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a proclamation restricting the entry of foreign nationals from select countries, effective January 1, 2026, citing national security and public safety concerns. The proclamation affects nationals of newly designated countries who are outside the United States on January 1, 2026, and do not possess a valid visa, although it does not prohibit the issuance of new visa stamps. Exceptions to the…