On June 30 at 14:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will host an expert discussion titled “Migration 2026: Lessons of the Past and Challenges of the Present.” In Russia, a new Concept of State Migration Policy for 2026–2030 has entered into force. Meanwhile, for the first time in nearly three decades, the European Union is fundamentally revising its rules on refugee admission. The United States is consistently tightening its…
The 2010s demonstrated that Hindu nationalism was far more successful in adapting to contemporary challenges than India’s various “secular” political movements, writes Ilya Spektor. In 2014, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured a historic victory, became the country’s dominant political force, and retained that position ever since. Hindu nationalism is a political doctrine holding that Hindu identity coincides with Indian national identity. This is its fundamental distinction from the “geographical”…
Quick Hits A federal district court vacated the Trump administration’s $100,000 H-1B fee requirement. The court found that the fee exceeded presidential authority and violated the APA. The government is expected to appeal, and USCIS has not yet announced how it will implement the ruling. Background On September 19, 2025, President Donald Trump issued Proclamation 10973, invoking Sections 212(f) and 215(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to impose…
Magic Eye books from the 1990s hid three-dimensional images in what looked like a swirl of dots and colors. At first glance, you see only noise. Change your focus, and suddenly a shape appears. Carnegie Mellon University mathematician Florian Frick(opens in new window) studies something similar in mathematics. His work explores how problems related to fairness, arrangements and patterns can reveal hidden geometric structure when viewed from the right perspective. “Mathematics is a…
The Pittsburgh arts scene thrives on a unique spirit of community collaboration, a fabric into which Carnegie Mellon University’s creative community is tightly woven. Rather than creating in isolation on the Oakland campus, CMU’s alumni, faculty and students actively engage with the city's public spaces, grassroots initiatives and community partnerships, ensuring their work both shapes and is shaped by the city’s vibrant arts scene.Perspectives and projects from the College of Fine Arts(opens…
A major new study has found patients living in England’s most deprived communities are significantly less likely to be offered ‘social prescribing’, an NHS scheme designed to connect people with community support such as exercise groups, debt advice, arts activities and social clubs.Researchers from The University of Manchester analysed primary care records from more than 12 million NHS patients, and found referrals to social prescribing services were disproportionately concentrated among…
Quick Hits Governor Gavin Newsom’s recent executive order directs several state agencies to conduct a comprehensive review of AI’s impact on the labor market. The executive order’s mandates include potential revisions to existing worker protection laws and required notices with reductions in force. The order also emphasizes the need for transparency in AI-related employment data and highlights protections against automated decision-making discrimination. Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-6-26 directs multiple California…
Google DeepMind Accelerator selects 15 robotics companies from across Europe to join the program. Providing 3 months of intensive mentorship and technical support, enabl…
On June 18 at 12:00 Moscow Time (GMT+3), the Valdai Club will present a Valdai Paper titled “The Sahara-Sahel Region: In Search of a New Security Architecture Amid the Collapse of the Neo-Colonial System.” Coordinated attacks by jihadists and separatist rebels on cities in Mali in late April have underscored the continued instability in West Africa. The authors of the Valdai Paper examine responses to regional security challenges by Sahel…
The talks of April 11–12, 2026 brought together a high-power US delegation led by Vice President JD Vance and a 70-member Iranian delegation led by Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The achievement was recognised internationally precisely because of how improbable it appeared. TheCouncil on Foreign Relations framed Pakistan’s success as something major powers and international organisations had failed to achieve for nearly half a century. But the broader significance of…
Quick Hits Fragmentation—not convergence—now defines the global restrictive covenant landscape. Remote work has weakened the logic of traditional geographic restrictions. Mandatory compensation regimes materially change enforcement economics in several jurisdictions. Trade secret litigation is rising as noncompetes narrow—and it is significantly more complex across borders. A single global template creates inconsistent leverage and strategic vulnerability. The global noncompete model is breaking down—not because restrictive covenants are disappearing everywhere, but because…
An overview from Google’s Trust & Safety teams on the most recent online scam trends.
The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup could become the ‘most polluting ever’, according to a new report examining football’s relationship with climate change.The study, released ahead of this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, claims football’s governing bodies are prioritising commercial expansion over environmental concerns, saying the sport has become deeply tied to fossil fuel interests and unsustainable growth.Delivered by The University of Manchester, Loughborough University and…
The Additional Instructions significantly curtail the reporting obligations that federal agencies have maintained for more than two decades under Management Directive 715 (MD-715), the Commission’s primary framework for overseeing federal agency employers’ equal employment opportunity (EEO) programs. The directive relieves agencies of the obligation to report on barrier analysis, diversity and inclusion principles, gender identity, and key demographic workforce data broken down by race, national origin, and gender, and grants…
However, ignoring viral content proves insufficient from a systemic perspective. Governments and communities develop countermeasures, including watermarking (ASEAN Guide on AI Governance), detection tools, or peer-to-peer verification (Deepfakes Analysis Unit, India). These focus on mitigation and adaptation but do not cover all AI risks. More complex post-truth issues arise from personalised search engines and AI chatbots. The pursuit of rapid access to highly plausible, but not necessarily verified, information creates…
Carnegie Mellon University alumni shone among Broadway’s brightest stars at the 79th Annual Tony Awards in New York City on Sunday, June 7. Hosted by music superstar and global icon P!NK, The American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards broadcast LIVE to both coasts on the CBS Television Network, and streamed on Paramount+*. Prior to the broadcast, Tony® Award-winner and five-time Tony® Award nominee Laura Benanti and six-time Emmy and SAG-nominated actor, musician,…
In Intact Insurance Company v. Edward Collins Contracting Limited, 2026 NLSC 49, the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador dismissed an application to strike a surety’s claim under an indemnity agreement, confirming that releases granted in Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) proceedings do not automatically extinguish independent contractual obligations of indemnitors. Case summary: Intact v. Collins Contracting (2026 NLSC 49) Background: surety claim and CCAA release defence The plaintiff (Intact)…
In J.C. et al. v. Jugenburg et al., 2026 ONSC 3061, the court found that a plastic surgeon breached his duties to patients and intruded on their privacy by installing surveillance cameras throughout his clinic. This is the first time a court has found that recording footage alone, even if it was not viewed or shared, can result in liability for the tort of intrusion upon seclusion. The court awarded…
Quick Hits OCR will be divided into three divisions: the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, the Civil Rights Division, and the Health Information Privacy, Data, and Cybersecurity Division. HHS and plan sponsor Star Group (SG) reached an agreement to resolve alleged HIPAA violations related to Star Group’s health plan, imposing $245,000 in fines and an extensive corrective action plan. The two-year corrective action plan will require the health plan to…
La décision Association des ressources intermédiaires d'hébergement du Québec (ARIHQ) c. Santé Québec - Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, 2026 QCCS 1360,rendue par la Cour supérieure le 22 avril 2026, balise l’utilisation de l’intelligence artificielle (IA) pour la rédaction de sentences arbitrales et, par ricochet, de décisions judiciaires. La Cour supérieure, sous la plume de l’honorable Martin F. Sheehan, J.C.S., a annulé une sentence…
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have shown that bacteria can learn from past experiences, store memories across generations and adapt their behavior to changing environments all without a brain or nervous system. The research could shape how scientists think about bacterial infections and antibiotic treatment.In a study published in PRX Life(opens in new window), researchers from CMU’s Ray and Stephanie Lane Computational Biology Department(opens in new window) and Mellon College of Science(opens in…
"The information environment we operate in today is vastly more complex than it was in 2010," said Professor Michael Garrett, Chair of the IAA SETI Committee. . "In an era of deepfakes, automated misinformation, and instant global connectivity, a single unverified claim could trigger confusion or panic. These new protocols ensure that scientists maintain the highest standards of evidence before making announcements to the world."Adapting to a new era of…
Quick Hits A federal district court in New Jersey ruled that adult performers on an online streaming platform are independent contractors under the FLSA but qualify as employees under New Jersey’s stricter ABC test. The court found that the performers could not be classified as independent contractors under the ABC test because they operated within the operator’s usual course of business and not outside its places of business by providing…
Second, the changing nature of warfare—in the present and future—demands a fundamental rethink of military strategy. This is evident not only in the growing impact of unmanned technologies (already in the air and at sea, soon on land) on combat, but also in the asymmetry of responses. Take the US Iran conflict: Valdai experts concluded that under altered conditions, a great power can no longer defeat a medium power that,…
Population ageing and labour shortages, slowing economic growth, and the inevitable attempts to address economic and demographic problems by increasing the inflow of labour migration will, over the coming decades, lead to profound transformations in both the political and cultural landscape of Central and Eastern Europe, writes Maria Pavlova. Following Peter Magyar’s victory in Hungary’s parliamentary elections, discussions emerged both within the country and abroad regarding changes in Budapest’s policy…
For many California employers, immigration enforcement no longer appears as a dramatic but rare worksite event. Recent enforcement activity has required employers to shift from a reactive posture to one that is proactive and compliance focused. Even as public attention shifts, the intersection of California and federal law continues to create meaningful risk for employers that do not approach this area with care. California employers, along with employers in Oregon,…
Quick Hits The Third Circuit ruled that the FLSA does not recognize claims for “gap time,” which refers to unpaid hours that do not exceed overtime limits. The court declined to rely on the DOL’s guidance suggesting gap time claims are cognizable, finding the FLSA to be unambiguous and the DOL’s guidance otherwise unpersuasive. This decision eliminates certain gap time claims in the Third Circuit, an area of aggressive DOL…
In the summer, Carnegie Mellon University opens its doors to K-12 students locally and from around the world, offering a firsthand look at its classrooms and community.Carnegie Mellon's Pre-College programs(opens in new window) will begin on June 20, bringing a premier on-campus opportunity to rising high school juniors and seniors from around the world. The programs, which invite around 800 students to campus each year, allow students to explore their interests…
We’re sharing our findings in Google for Startups’ latest report, the Future of AI: Perspectives on generative media for startups.
On June 4, the Valdai Club held its session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum under the title “Shared Future, Universal Good: How to Manage Competition for Resources and Spaces”. Andrey Bystritskiy, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai Discussion Club, opened the session with remarks outlining the numerous challenges facing states and societies in a rapidly changing international system fraught with…
Kameirah, a high school senior from Washington, shares more about the inspiration behind her winning Doodle.
The proliferation of synthetic videos could—at least for some media audiences—be an incentive for more conscious information consumption. Understanding that artificial intelligence can realistically visualize virtually any story can “rationalize” perception, gradually reducing the emotional element. However, other scenarios cannot be ruled out, in which awareness of the inherent implausibility of content will not be a barrier to its consumption, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Anton Bespalov. On September 11,…
Quick Hits Unless there is an individual or collective agreement in place, employees in Germany generally have no legal right to workation. Without an A1 Certificate, employers risk a double obligation to pay social security contributions. German law remains applicable during short-term workation within the EU, and mandatory foreign employee protection laws may also apply. A recent study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and Organization shows how popular…
Quick Hits Louisiana’s newly enacted workplace violence prevention law, the “Louisiana Behind the Counter Protection Act,” will take effect on August 1, 2026. The law gives employees in customer-facing roles, primarily in retail and hospitality establishments, stronger protection against violence at work. The new law increases criminal penalties against offenders for threats and acts of violence against covered employees. Louisiana’s ‘Behind the Counter Protection Act’ The “Louisiana Behind the Counter…
Growing up in Norristown, Pa., Jules Fisher was fascinated with science and magic — the former for the results he saw science achieve and the latter because it delighted people with its mysteries. Fisher used tenets of both in his decades-long career as a lighting designer to thrilling success in productions for the theatre, film, ballet, opera, television and concert tours. A 1960 School of Drama(opens in new window) alumnus of Carnegie…
Read the transcript of the presentation given by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, and Anat Ashkenazi, SVP and Chief Financial Officer.
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Court of Appeal affirmed summary judgment for an employer on claims for disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, and failure to engage in the interactive process because the employer did not know, and could not reasonably have inferred, that the employee had a disability. The Court emphasized that erratic or unusual behavior alone is insufficient to impute knowledge of a disability unless the disability is the only…
Quick Hits Virginia Governor Spanberger has signed legislation that expands paid sick leave to all public and private employees. The paid sick leave legislation mandates one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked, with an annual accrual and use cap of forty hours, and includes provisions that could create challenges for employers, including very loose requirements on the notice employees must give before taking leave. The paid…
Learn about our new water stewardship commitments, initiatives and recent Water Replenishment Projects Request for Information.
3 June 2026By Óscar Arce, Niccolò Battistini, Othman Bouabdallah, Eliza Lis and Matthias Mohr The current energy shock is significant and global, but it is also hitting a euro area economy that is more balanced than when Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. History and analysis show that context matters a lot for how shocks propagate to inflation.Energy prices have risen sharply since early 2026 when war broke out again…