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World-first AI partnership between The University of Manchester and Microsoft announced

The Microsoft 365 Copilot rollout, to be completed by summer 2026, will equip Manchester students with future-ready skills and enable researchers to accelerate interdisciplinary discovery and analysis at scale.   Through access and training, Manchester graduates will be well prepared for the modern workplace, where employers increasingly expect graduates to be confident users of AI technologies. Students will also be able to use Microsoft 365 Copilot to support their studies in line with the University’s policies on the…

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FAA Governs Arbitration Agreements When Parties Expressly Agree

Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Court of Appeal rejected the argument that the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) cannot apply absent evidence of interstate commerce, emphasizing that arbitration under the FAA is a matter of consent. Thus, the Court affirmed that an arbitration agreement is governed by the FAA when the parties expressly agree to its application. Tuufuli v. West Coast Dental Administrative Services, LLC, 2nd Appellate District, Case No. B338584. The…

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FTC Announces Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Thresholds and Filing Fees for 2026

On January 14, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that the 2026 threshold for applying the size-of-parties test of the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act will increase from $126.4 million to $133.9 million. Deals that exceed this $133.9 million threshold may need to be reported to the FTC and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) depending on the size of the parties to the transaction as measured by the volume of their…

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California Civil Rights Department Previews 2025 Pay Data Reporting Templates

Quick Hits The California Civil Rights Department’s preliminary pay data reporting templates for the 2025 pay reporting cycle show three new columns on both the payroll employee and the labor contractor employee reports: (1) Exemption Status; (2) Employment Type; and (3) Total Annual Weeks Worked. The preliminary templates show that these new columns are not required fields for the 2025 pay data reporting. The preliminary templates and FAQs are subject…

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Announcing the YC AI Student Starter Pack

This year, YC has partnered with nearly two dozen companies to offer students who attend YC events a suite of free credits for AI devtools.The YC AI Student Starter Pack includes over $20,000 in cloud credits on Azure and AWS, over $5,000 in credits for GPT/Claude/Grok, and generous credits for AI devtools in voice, browser automation, web search, video generation, databases, web crawling, and more. We’re especially happy that 14…

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Turkey’s Foreign Policy: Preserving Balance Amid Turbulence

On January 16, the Valdai Discussion Club’s Moscow venue hosted the presentation of the new Valdai Paper, “Turkey in the Context of Transforming International Relations and the New Eurasian Geopolitics.”  Discussion moderator Anton Bespalov described Turkey as a classic example of a middle power—influential in its region, capable of projecting power outward, and skilfully balancing between greater powers. He emphasized that Russia shares Turkey’s ongoing search for identity, which arises…

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A two-week leap in breeding: Study reveals Antarctic penguins’ striking climate adaptation

A decade-long study led by Penguin Watch, at the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University, has uncovered a record shift in the breeding season of Antarctic penguins, likely in response to climate change. These changes threaten to disrupt penguins’ access to food and increase interspecies competition. The results have been published today (20 January - World Penguin Awareness Day) in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Chinstrap penguin with its…

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Sloping up: the repricing of euro area yields in 2025

16 January 2026By Benjamin Böninghausen and Andreea Liliana VladuThe euro area yield curve steepened significantly in 2025 as long-term and especially very long-term interest rates increased. This ECB Blog post dissects what happened and explores key drivers behind the unusually strong shift.Over the course of 2025, many debtors in the euro area faced the phenomenon that borrowing over longer time periods has become more costly relative to borrowing over the…

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Emerging Trends in Employment Arbitration in 2026: What Employers Need to Know

Quick Hits The legal landscape of employment arbitration continues to evolve as plaintiffs’ attorneys mount new challenges, particularly in light of laws like the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFAA). Employers can avoid pitfalls by staying informed on the latest issues and carefully crafting and regularly evaluating their arbitration agreements to maintain effectiveness and enforceability. The Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) promotes the use of arbitration…

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Ontario’s top court finds school board not liable in bullying claim

In Rizzuto v. Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board, 2025 ONCA 773 (Rizzuto), the Court of Appeal for Ontario affirmed the dismissal of a negligence claim arising from a schoolyard bullying incident (the Incident). Although the trial judge found several shortcomings in how earlier bullying was addressed, the court was “unable to conclude more supervision or disciplinary measures would have deterred or prevented the incident.” Without a causal link between…

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Mysterious ‘Mars bar’ discovered in famous Ring Nebula

How the iron bar formed is currently a mystery, the authors say.  They will need further, more detailed observations to unravel what is going on. There are two potential scenarios: the iron bar may reveal something new about how the ejection of the nebula by the parent star progressed, or the iron might be an arc of plasma resulting from the vaporisation of particles of iron dust embedded in the…

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From Door to Doctor: DOL Clarifies That FMLA Leave Covers Travel Time

Quick Hits Employees may use FMLA leave to attend medical appointments related to serious health conditions for themselves or for a qualifying family member. FMLA leave also covers reasonable travel to and from such appointments. Medical certifications need not include an estimate of travel time to be complete and sufficient. Using FMLA Leave for Medical Appointments The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take up to twelve work…

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Canadian private equity update: positive trends, liquidity options and key issues for GPs and LPs

An uptick in performance in recent fundraising In this bulletin we provide our view on positive trends in the Canadian private equity market, discuss liquidity options being used in the current environment, and share three critical points that clients should keep in mind when negotiating private equity deals in 2026. The start of 2025 saw a positive development in a subdued Canadian private equity environment. During the first five months…

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CBP’s Proposed Changes to the Visa Waiver Program and ESTA for B-1 and B-2 Visitors

Quick Hits CBP recently proposed changes to its Visa Waiver Program and Electronic System for Travel Authorization and invited public comment through February 9, 2026. Proposed changes include moving to a mobile-only application (the ESTA mobile app) and requiring extensive new data, including social media information and family member details. Enhanced vetting and security changes include adding required applicant biometric uploads (i.e., a photograph of the applicant’s face or a…

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Changes to Ontario’s Construction Act effective January 1, 2026

The most recent amendments to Ontario’s Construction Act are now effective (as of January 1, 2026). The most significant implication of these amendments are to the administration of the statutory holdback and the requirement for the annual release of holdback going forward for construction projects in Ontario. The amendments were introduced through Building Ontario for You Act (Budget Measures) (Bill 216). An overview of key amendments under Bill 216 is set…

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Enhancing climate analysis: new insights through data

15 January 2026By Pietro Bellamio, Catarina De Melo Branco, Julika Herzberg, Małgorzata Osiewicz, Sofia Papadopoulos, Eva Pereira, Dimitra Theleriti and Caroline WillekeThe ESCB has strengthened its climate indicators, introducing new breakdowns of sustainable bonds, data on how inflation affects banks’ carbon intensity metrics, and improved data and models assessing physical risks. This ECB Blog post offers a quick overview of the enhancements.Statistical climate indicators are continuously evolving. The European System…

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Lack of coordination is leaving modern slavery victims and survivors vulnerable, say experts

Researchers at The University of Manchester are calling for stronger, coordinated partnerships to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking, warning that gaps between organisations risk leaving victims and survivors without consistent protection and support.Their appeal comes in a new review commissioned by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), which examines how organisations across the city region work together to identify, safeguard and support people affected by modern slavery and human trafficking.…

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Shifting Geopolitics in Georgia: From ‘Radical Europeanness’ to ‘Georgianness’

By emphasising dignity, sovereignty, and national interest, Georgia seeks to navigate an increasingly multipolar and unstable international system. Whether this recalibration will enhance the country’s resilience or deepen its geopolitical vulnerabilities remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that Georgia has entered a new stage in which identity, pragmatism, and geopolitical calculation play a far more central role in shaping its strategic choices than in previous periods, writes Archil Sikharulidze.…

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Revisions to New York’s Trapped at Work Act Already in the Works

Quick Hits New York Assembly Bill A9452 seeks to amend the newly enacted Trapped at Work Act, which prohibits stay or pay agreements that require employees to repay training expenses if they leave their job. The proposed chapter amendments would narrow the scope of the original law to apply specifically to employees, excluding independent contractors and other workers from the prohibitions on reimbursement agreements. The amendments would also allow employers…

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Ontario Court confirms strict enforcement of suit limitation periods in surety bond claims

In VanMar Constructors ON 1028 Inc. v Travelers Insurance Company of Canada, 2025 ONSC 6959, the Ontario Superior Court found that a performance bond action by a contractor was commenced after expiry of the bond limitation period, and dismissed the action. While the facts were straightforward, the court's analysis provides important guidance on the interpretation and enforcement of limitation periods under performance bonds. Background VanMar Constructors ON 1028 Inc. (VanMar)…

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Ania Jastreboff: Treating Obesity Without Shame

In this bonus episode, Howie and Harlan are joined by Ania Jastreboff, a Yale School of Medicine endocrinologist and an expert on the science of obesity. They discuss her new book, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, which reframes obesity as a treatable disease rooted in biology—not a failure of willpower. Show notes: Ania Jastreboff and Oprah Winfrey: Enough: Your Health, Your Weight, and What It’s Like To Be Free Yale Obesity…

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India shows how urban forests can help cool cities – as long as planners understand what nature and people need

For many years, I lived in the Indian city of Chennai where the summer temperatures can reach up to 44°C. With a population of 4.5 million, this coastal city is humid and hot.Its suburbs are home to 600 Hindu temples and there’s a wildlife reserve called Guindy national park in the heart of the city. Trees line some of the streets but green parks are few and far between –…

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Fossils reveal ‘latitudinal traps’ that increased the risk of extinction for marine species

Professor Erin Saupe. Credit: Charlie Rex. The findings, published this week in Science, provide new insight towards understanding patterns of biodiversity distribution throughout Earth history to the present day, and highlight which modern species may be more at risk of extinction due to climate change.The researchers analysed over 300,000 fossils for over 12,000 genera of marine invertebrates, combining these with reconstructions of continental arrangements at different times in the past.…

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Expert Comment: Chatbot-driven sexual abuse? The Grok case is just the tip of the iceberg

Dr Federica Fedorczyk, Institute for Ethics in AI Over the past few weeks, Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, has been in the eye of the storm for creating sexualised images of children and women without their consent in response to simple user requests.The mechanism is extremely straightforward. Users can upload a picture and ask Grok to remove the clothes of the person depicted, leaving them in underwear, bikinis, transparent attire,…

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New Jersey Department of Labor’s Employer Access Portal Is Live—Required and Optional Information

Quick Hits Employers must submit separation information through the NJDOL’s Employer Access portal. Previously, employers provided separation information to the NJDOL via a designated email address. Employers may want to register now for portal access and use it to make all timely separation submissions, despite some ambiguity about what separation-related information the NJDOL requires employers to provide. What the 2022 UCL Amendments Require The 2022 amendments to New Jersey’s Unemployment…

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The world’s first carbon border-adjusted tax enters its definitive phase: What it means for Canada

On January 1, 2026, the European Union (EU) formally launched the world’s first carbon border levy. After a transitional period of over two years and a flurry of additional legislation required to operationalize the levy in late 2025, the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Measure (CBAM) is now in full force. Critics have disparaged CBAM for the costs imposed on producers outside of the EU and labelled it as a protectionist…

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Time spent on gaming and social media not to blame for teen mental health issues

A major new study from The University of Manchester has found little evidence that social media use or video gaming are causing mental health problems in young teenagers, challenging one of the most widespread concerns among parents and teachers today.The research - published in the Journal of Public Health - is based on the experiences of more than 25,000 pupils across Greater Manchester, and is one of the largest and…

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USCIS Broadens Scope of Adjudication Hold for Pending Benefit Requests of Certain Foreign Nationals

Quick Hits USCIS will place a hold on all pending benefit requests filed by or for foreign nationals who are citizens of or were born in countries listed in Presidential Proclamation 10998, issued in December 2025. USCIS will also re-review approved benefit requests of foreign nationals impacted by Presidential Procalamation 10998 who were approved on or after January 20, 2021, an expansion of scope from its December 2, 2025, memorandum.…

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Smart glasses at work: Heads-up innovation, head-on compliance for Canadian HR & legal

Artificial intelligence is making its mark across all sectors, including in the workplace. In the past year, AI-powered smart glasses have evolved from being a novelty to becoming the focus of serious pilot programs. Meta’s Ray-Ban lineup has introduced enhanced AI features, fuelling enterprise trials even amid ongoing privacy debates. Meanwhile, the augmented reality landscape is shifting: Microsoft has paused development of new HoloLens hardware, while Google, collaborating with XREAL,…

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Does a Company’s Collapse Hurt Workers’ Careers?

Every year, hundreds of thousands of firms in the United States go under, leaving millions of employees scrambling to find new jobs. What happens to their career trajectories? Is their previous company’s failure seen as a red flag or not?Surprisingly, there hasn’t been much research on a question that affects so many workers. Previous studies have found that executives’ careers often falter afterward, but the fates of average employees have…

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New Jersey Unemployment Update: Employers Must Report All Worker Separations

Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective December 8, 2025, New Jersey employers must report all employee separations (layoffs, terminations, resignations, or retirements) electronically through the state’s Employer Access portal. In 2023, amendments to New Jersey’s Unemployment Compensation Law took effect, which increased unemployment reporting obligations for employers.[1] As a result of these amendments, New Jersey employers are now required to report all employee separations—which includes layoffs, terminations, resignations, or retirements—electronically through New Jersey’s…

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New year, new compliance obligations: CRA releases updated CRS guidance

Canada’s implementation of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Common Reporting Standard under Part XIX of the Income Tax Act (CRS) imposes due diligence and reporting obligations on financial institutions. Financial institutions with CRS obligations include a wide array of entities such as banks, credit unions, insurance companies, trust companies, custodians, securities dealers, portfolio managers and collective investment vehicles (including, but not limited to, mutual funds, exchange traded funds,…

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Manchester research reveals how global laws can give workers real power

A new study in the Journal of Economic Geography has revealed that European ‘due diligence’ laws designed to make multinational companies accountable for labour and environmental abuses are beginning to give a voice to some of the world’s most vulnerable workers.Focusing on South Africa’s wine industry, the research - led by Professor Matthew Alford from The University of Manchester’s Alliance Manchester Business School, in collaboration with colleagues from the University…

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Has a Transatlantic Split Occurred?

The White House’s diplomatic overtures to Moscow were met with a muted and sceptical reception in Brussels. The European Union maintained its adherence to the original paradigm of the conflict: that Russia’s position is illegitimate and must be reversed through comprehensive isolation; that Ukraine requires unwavering support by all available means; and that Kiev’s domestic political shortcomings, however disagreeable, must be temporarily set aside. The United States, in contrast, pivoted to a new and starkly pragmatic calculus: Russia is too resilient to be forced into…

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State Department’s Visa Bond Program: 32 New Countries and 6 New Airports Added to the List

Quick Hits On January 1, 2026, the State Department added seven countries to the visa bond program: Bhutan, Botswana, Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Namibia, and Turkmenistan. On January 6, the State Department added an additional twenty-five countries to the visa bond list, including Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. The State Department expanded its list of designated ports of entry through which visa bond holds must enter…

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Netflix Will Win the Fight Over Warner—Even If It Loses

This commentary was originally published in Fortune. The views expressed are the author’s own.Eight strikes and Paramount’s out. Wait—isn’t it supposed to be three strikes? Paramount CEO David Ellison apparently did not get the memo. Ellison received official word last week that his company’s takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery had been rejected for the eighth time—and it won’t be trying a ninth time, as Ellison has just filed suit…

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Higher daylight exposure improves cognitive performance, study finds

A real world  study led by University of Manchester neuroscientists has shown that higher daytime light exposure positively influences different aspects of cognition.The first study of its kind, published in the journal Communications Psychology  and funded by Wellcome Trust, also showed that stable light exposure across a week and uninterrupted exposure during a day had similar effects.Participants in the study experienced improved subjective sleepiness, the ability to  maintain focused attention…

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Regius Professor Philip Withers takes up joint appointment between the Universities of Manchester and Monash

Over the next five years, Professor Withers’ joint appointment will support collaborative research programmes between Manchester and Monash, enable greater researcher and student exchange, and strengthen engagement with industry partners across both countries, particularly in the area of advanced materials manufacturing.Professor Chris Harcacre, Vice Dean and Head of School of Natural Sciences at The University of Manchester said: “This is an excellent opportunity to build on our existing links with…

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Greater Eurasia as a Common Home

This does not mean, of course, that the SCO plays the role of a universal arbiter between members, or has the ability to dictate the development of Eurasia’s states. Because in the contemporary world most states strive to increase their level of autonomy, the existence of such an institution is not even within the realm of possibility. Moreover, across Eurasia there is no single power capable of positioning its own…

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New York Federal Court Says Denial of Remote Work Not Equivalent to Disability Discrimination

Quick Hits The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that denying an employee’s request to continue working from home as a disability accommodation does not constitute disability discrimination. The ruling emphasized that an adverse employment action supporting a disability discrimination claim must be based on an employee’s disability. The ruling underscores the importance of the interactive process in accommodating employees and clarifies the difference between…

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