An EEOC Victory Provides Lessons on Applicant Drug Testing Accommodations

Quick Hits A jury awarded more than $400,000 in damages to an applicant who was denied employment due to a failed drug test—one that the applicant, a veteran, informed the employer she might fail because of legally prescribed medications she took for PTSD. The EEOC successfully argued that the employer, a retirement community, violated the ADA by failing to allow the applicant to explain her non-negative drug test result. The…

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Stanford researchers tackle urgent and complex questions about brain resilience

With the global population aging, understanding how the brain protects itself or becomes vulnerable has never been more urgent. To address this, Stanford researchers are pushing the boundaries of how we understand and preserve brain function across the lifespan. Since 2022, Catalyst Awards from the Phil and Penny Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute have supported interdisciplinary teams exploring how sleep, inflammation, endocannabinoid metabolism, cellular…

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Recent Passing of Hong Kong Stablecoins Bill

On May 21, 2025, Hong Kong's Legislative Council passed the Stablecoins Bill, establishing a regulatory framework for stablecoins–cryptocurrencies whose value is tied to an external asset or commodity. This marks an important step in positioning Hong Kong as a progressive hub for digital finance. The legislation introduces a licensing regime for fiat-referenced stablecoin (FRS) issuers and strengthens the city's broader regulatory approach to virtual asset (VA) activities. It aims to…

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Observing Memorial Day With a Supportive Workplace for Veterans and Servicemembers

Quick Hits Memorial Day, celebrated on May 26, 2025, is a federal holiday. Many private businesses give workers paid time off. Memorial Day was established to honor and remember men and women who died while serving in the military. Employers can use many different approaches to help veterans and servicemembers feel included in the workplace. Many private employers have employees who are in the National Guard, the Reserves, or previously…

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Articles On: Tariffs, Keep, EU, Starbucks, Trade, UK, Hong Kong, China Property Slump, Chinese Bank, Carmakers, G.M., Huawei, and VTech

Trump tariff twists drive Chinese manufacturers to Southeast Asiaby Stella Yifan Xie and Peggy Yevia Nikkei Asia on May 14, 2025 Western carmakers risk wipeout in China, warns Jeep owner Stellantisby Kana Inagaki, Patricia Nilsson, Ian Johnston and Mari Novikvia Financial Times on May 15, 2025 EU ‘has no interest’ in reviving stalled investment deal with Chinaby Dewey Simvia South China Morning Post on May 15, 2025 Starbucks kicks off…

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Profit Sharing Payments Are Around the Corner: Key Considerations for Employers in Mexico

Quick Hits May 30, 2025, is the last day for paying profit sharing (PTU). As of May 31, 2025, the Labor Ministry is expected to start labor inspections to verify compliance with PTU payment requirements, and employees and former employees will become entitled to claim PTU payments and/or get the specifics on why no payment was made to them. Key Considerations for Employers in Mexico Although May 30, 2025, is…

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How severe is the aircraft shortage—and what happens next?

There’s been a growing gap between air travel demand and the aviation industry’s supply of new aircraft to meet it. While passenger demand has rebounded from pandemic-era lows and is projected to keep growing, delivery times for newly manufactured aircraft—and maintenance turnaround times for aircraft in existing fleets—have slowed. What are the implications of this aircraft shortage for key stakeholders along the aviation value chain? What future scenarios are possible?…

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Meet Angeline Yu, ’25

Angeline Yu spent much of her upbringing in her parents’ small Hawaiian restaurant. It was where she learned to talk to strangers. “I got to know the customers, their stories, their favorite orders,” Yu said. “I really enjoyed learning about other people.” In high school, she began volunteering at a local hospital where she’d visit patients in their rooms and learn about their medical challenges and hospital experiences. “I would often sit…

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Washington Governor Signs Bill Making Key Changes to Equal Pay and Opportunities Act

Quick Hits Washington Governor Ferguson signed legislation amending the pay transparency requirements of the EPOA. The amended EPOA provides employers a cure period of five business days after receiving notice of a defective posting to change a posting to comply with the pay transparency requirements. The new law will also allow employers to advertise a single fixed pay amount in job postings instead of a pay range, in certain circumstances.…

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Too big to succeed? Unlocking value in large medtechs

For many large medtech companies, scale and diversification were intended to drive innovation and efficiency. Large, diversified companies in other industries have delivered superior shareholder returns by rationalizing fixed costs, mobilizing their balance sheets, and building broad-based relationships with customers. But while many large medtechs are among the industry’s most profitable, their diversification has not brought the same improvements in shareholder value as in other industries (Exhibit 1). Diversification has…

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Are low-cost airlines losing altitude?

Airlines are often categorized into groups differentiated by their business models—in particular, their cost structures and revenue approaches: Legacy carriers (also known as full-service airlines) tend to offer multiclass cabins and a wide range of amenities, with many service features included in the ticket price. Examples include American Airlines, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific. Low-cost carriers and ultra-low-cost carriers—a combined group known as (U)LCCs—tend to sell discounted base-fare tickets and…

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Amendment to  Mexico’s National Housing Fund Institute for Workers Law Introduces New Employer Obligations

Quick Hits The amendment to Mexico’s INFONAVIT law includes new obligations for employers related to deductions allowed under INFONAVIT per the loans granted by said authority. Evidence of compliance with the new obligations must be presented before September 17, 2025. New Obligations for Employers Per the amendment, employers must adjust their systems and processes to determine, make, and enter deductions from the salaries of employees who are granted INFONAVIT loans.…

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You’ve got (fraudulent) mail: Allocating loss after a business email compromise scam

From forged cheques to impersonation scams, fraudsters have long exploited the trust, distance and communication gaps that underpin commercial transactions. But the digital age has given rise to a new and particularly insidious form of deception: business email compromise (BEC) fraud. In these schemes, attackers infiltrate or spoof a businessperson’s email account—often that of a trusted vendor—redirecting payments to fraudulent bank accounts with alarming ease. As the financial consequences of…

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Understanding IRAs and RMDs: A Guide to Retirement Withdrawals

By Laima Zirne and Tahir Mahmood | 19 May, 2025 As you plan for retirement, it’s essential to understand how Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) work. Key Terms Before we begin, let’s define a few key terms to set the stage: Traditional IRA – a tax-deferred retirement account where contributions may be tax-deductible, and withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income. Roth IRA – a…

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Turning things around: An interview with Natarajan Srinivasan

In 2020, CG Power and Industrial Solutions, an Indian multinational in the motor, power systems, and railway industries, was on the brink of bankruptcy. Plagued by a host of challenges, the company clearly needed a transformation to survive. Under the leadership of Natarajan Srinivasan, CG Power experienced a remarkable turnaround. Once a company teetering on the brink of collapse, CG Power has now seen a significant rise in its stock…

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Invisible No More: Art as a Tool for Agency

What does it mean to create something that didn’t exist before—and to do so with a sense of possibility, even in the face of constraint? In this episode, artist Mario Moore joins Dr. Heidi Brooks to reflect on art as agency, the power of process, and the untold stories behind his Yale-commissioned painting Black Governors. Together, they explore the tension between presence and invisibility, and what it means to embed…

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Nano-scale biosensor lets scientists monitor molecules in real time

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could continuously monitor the molecular state of our body? Consider the solutions that could enable, from optimized drug delivery to early detection of deadly diseases like cancer. For the last two decades, research has aimed to make this a reality by developing devices that measure a chemical or biological reaction in our bodies and send their measurements as a signal readable from outside the…

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Understanding Offshore Bonds: A Key Option for Wealth Management

By Maryam Lokhandwala and Tahir Mahmood | 22 May, 2025 In the world of wealth management, selecting the right investment vehicle is essential for maximising returns and minimising tax liabilities. One option that often goes unnoticed is the offshore bond. What Are Offshore / Onshore Bonds? Offshore bonds are financial products designed to help you grow your money over the long term. They are offered by insurance companies and work…

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The European economy is not drought-proof

23 May 2025By Andrej Ceglar, Francesca Danieli, Irene Heemskerk, Mark Jwaideh and Nicola RangerThe degradation of natural ecosystems slows growth and leads to financial instability. Water scarcity, natural flood protection and water quality are most critical. Surface water scarcity alone puts almost 15% of the euro area’s economic output at risk.The euro area economy depends heavily on natural ecosystems and the services they provide. These include clean water, flood protection,…

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Time to revisit your M&A strategy

M &A activity is down, as is private equity investment, and companies are facing a range of new geopolitical tensions. Still, there is a path to growth through M&A for those companies that maintain an active acquisition strategy, understand their capabilities, and avoid certain assets, says McKinsey Senior Partner Jake Henry. On this episode of The McKinsey Podcast, he and McKinsey Senior Partner Mieke Van Oostende join McKinsey Editorial Director Roberta Fusaro…

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The Return of Nuclear Energy: A New Era of Digital Power

International competition in the geo-technological sphere is growing, and the nuclear energy is being reborn in a new way and with new tasks: in the coming years, we can expect large projects to integrate nuclear energy and data centres. If such projects are successful, this will not only accelerate the development of artificial intelligence technology, but also affect the landscape of global energy, Maria Bazlutskaya writes. Nuclear energy is making…

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How to modernize airline planning

Airline planning is inherently challenging, in part because many planning inputs are outside an airline’s control. The global aviation ecosystem relies on interwoven networks shaped by competing stakeholder priorities. Travel demand patterns are forever shifting and tough to forecast. Unpleasant surprises—including major storms, airport infrastructure breakdowns, IT failures, ground staff shortages, and aircraft delivery delays—can add significant uncertainty to any projections. This can be further exacerbated by global crises, geopolitical…

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NLRB Releases New Standards for Remedies in Settlements

Quick Hits The NLRB’s acting general counsel issued a new memo, relaxing requirements for officials to approve settlements related to unfair labor practice allegations. The memo gives NLRB’s regional directors more discretion in crafting settlement agreements to reduce the pending backlog of cases. The new policy takes effect immediately. On May 16, 2025, William B. Cowen, acting general counsel of the NLRB, released a memo to clarify the discretion NLRB…

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Can the global airline industry continue its climb?

Running an airline isn’t for the timid. Weather events, infrastructure failures, and fickle passenger demand can make an already-tough business even more challenging. As this article goes to publication, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tension are both threatening to alter travel flows, piling yet more stress on airline executives. These business challenges show up on ledger sheets. Since 2005, we’ve analyzed the financial performance of the aviation value chain. Our research demonstrates…

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New CRISPR technology could help repair damaged neurons

When a neuron in our body gets damaged, segments of RNA produce proteins that can help repair the injury. But in neurological disorders such as ALS and spinal muscular atrophy, or following spinal cord injuries, the mechanisms for moving life-essential RNA to injured sites within the cell fail. As a result, RNA molecules can’t get to where they are needed and damage becomes permanent.Researchers at Stanford have developed a technology…

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EEOC Acting Director Warns No ‘Diversity Exception’ to Title VII in Announcing EEO-1 Reporting Period Opening

Quick Hits The EEOC has opened the 2024 EEO-1 Component 1 reporting period, emphasizing that employers must not use the reported demographic data to justify discriminatory employment practices based on race, sex, or other protected characteristics.  EEOC Acting Director Andrea Lucas warned employers that there is no “diversity exception” to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, even if the data suggests employer policies may have a disparate impact on…

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Expert Comment: Which urgent tech lessons must the EU take from Romania’s election?

Romania’s 2025 presidential election was far more than a domestic political contest —it was a stress test for Europe’s digital defences. Amid rising political instability and economic downturn, the country became a frontline example of how digital interference, algorithmic manipulation, and platform inaction can collide to undermine democratic processes.What unfolded in Romania is both a warning and a lesson: in the digital age, electoral integrity can no longer be separated…

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Take Care of Your Employees’ Mental Health: Employers’ Role in Addressing Burnout (Excerpt from For Dummies)

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. A good time to reflect on how work environments either support or sabotage employee well-being. Burnout is on the rise and employers’ role in addressing burnout has never been more important. If you’ve ever worked in a toxic culture, you know firsthand how it can chip away at your mental health.  As an employer or leader, you play a critical role in creating a…

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Francophony in Africa With or Without France: Features of African Integration Associations

Why are the French-speaking countries of Africa uniting faster? The formation of modern African countries was influenced by the France-Afrique system, which France created in the second half of the 20th century and used for more than 40 years. In the 1950s, for President Charles de Gaulle, policy on the African continent was part of the country’s foreign policy development within the framework of the concept of the greatness of…

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Cambridge researchers named as 2025 Academy of Medical Sciences Fellows

The new Fellows have been recognised for their remarkable contributions to advancing medical science, groundbreaking research discoveries and translating developments into benefits for patients and the wider public. Their work exemplifies the Academy’s mission to create an open and progressive research sector that improves health for everyone.They join an esteemed Fellowship of 1,450 researchers who are at the heart of the Academy’s work, which includes nurturing the next generation of…

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Seyfarth Expands Wage & Hour Offerings with Addition of Kyle Nelson as Labor & Employment Partner in Seattle

May 21, 2025 - Seyfarth Shaw LLP has further enhanced its highly decorated Labor & Employment Department by adding Kyle Nelson as a partner based in Seattle. Nelson focuses primarily on wage and hour class action defense. His practice extends to high-stakes employment litigation and employment law counseling. He has earned a strong reputation for litigating class action cases creatively and finding strategic advantages to position cases for resolution. “Kyle…

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Academy of Medical Sciences elects five Oxford researchers as new Fellows

The new Fellows have been elected to the Academy in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science, cutting edge research discoveries, and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society.The Oxford Fellows are among the 54 new Fellows announced this year who will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Wednesday 9 July 2025.The new Fellows are:Professor Charalambos Antoniades FMedSci,…

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AI in Job Postings: What Employers in Canada Need to Know

Quick Hits In Ontario, if AI is used to screen, assess, or select applicants, a disclosure may be required directly in the job posting. Employers with fewer than twenty-five employees are exempt from Ontario’s requirement. In Quebec, if a decision is made exclusively through automated processing (such as AI), employers need to inform the individual and offer a mechanism for human review. Across Canada, privacy laws (Quebec, Alberta, British Columbia,…

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Playing by the rules: Key insights for promotional contests in Canada

Running a promotional contest is a fantastic way to boost sales, build brand awareness, and connect with your customers. Whether you’re a business, marketer, or influencer, before you dive in, it’s important to know that there are a lot of rules and regulations you need to follow in Canada. If you don’t, you could face some serious consequences—including hefty penalties that could reach up to 3 per cent of your…

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China and the United States: the need for de-escalation

Following very high-level negotiations, notably involving US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier with responsibility for the economy He Lifeng, said to be close to President Xi Jinping, the two countries said they were lowering their additional import tariffs for 90 days, from 145% to 30% for the US and from 125% to 10% for China. They also committed to continuing talks on their economic and trading relationship. US-China…

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How Europe’s TMT sector could become a global leader

McKinsey: How has Europe’s TMT sector performed compared to the United States and Asia? Ruben Schaubroeck: It’s no secret that Europe has lagged behind both America and Asia over the past years, and looking at different metrics, you can see that. If you look at, for example, total TMT market capitalization, Europe’s share has dropped from 30 percent to 7 percent, which represents an $8 trillion loss. Secondly, if you…

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Valdai Discussion Club and the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Hold a Russian-Uzbek Conference

On May 27, the Valdai Discussion Club, in partnership with the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies (ISRS) under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, will hold a Russian-Uzbek conference. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Russia and Uzbekistan: Priority Areas of Cooperation”. The conference will be held at the Valdai Club headquarters in Moscow. The Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic…

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Q5 Expands Leadership Team in Australia

As we celebrate a decade of local operations in Australia, we’re proud to announce several senior leadership appointments that reaffirm our long-term commitment to the region. Strengthening Our Leadership Team in Australia and New Zealand At Q5, we specialise in helping organisations thrive through periods of growth and transformation—whether that means optimising costs, redesigning structures, redefining roles, or building capabilities for the future. With a global presence across nine offices…

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Recent Canadian product liability case law highlights

*Content from this article is from the Case Law Compendium for the Defense Research Institute’s (DRI) Product liability Conference held February 2025. Canadian contributions by BLG’s Edona Vila and Robert Stefanelli. There have been several significant new developments in product liability cases across Canada in the past year. These decisions, arising from Ontario, Québec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, provide important insights into how courts are deciding product liability matters.…

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Can AI Replace Human Debt Collectors?‌

When the home audio company Sonos released a disastrous update to its app last year, one of the agents fielding angry calls from customers was an multi-modal chatbot from the AI startup Sierra. Sonos is one of many companies that are using AI for customer service, taking advantage of the technology’s growing ability to successfully navigate unpredictable conversations with human beings. ‌ If AI can handle being on the receiving…

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