Top considerations for construction contracts in light of U.S. tariffs

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:9 mins read

Amid a flurry of activity over the past several days, the U.S. and Canada have tentatively reached an agreement to delay the implementation of tariffs for at least 30 days. The looming U.S. tariffs, and Canada’s intended retaliatory tariffs, telegraph a turbulent time ahead for the Canadian construction industry. The…

Why Do Museums Matter?‌

‌Q: Why do museums matter?‌ Art is elemental. Civilizations across the planet and across time have used art to tell stories, construct identity, and help us to understand our place in the world. Human beings have also created and stewarded collections of art, in various ways, going back to the…

Using generative AI to transform customer experience

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:8 mins read

At 112 years young, Holcim is proving that age and innovation can go hand in hand. With headquarters in Switzerland, a presence in 70 countries worldwide, and $27 billion in net sales, the construction building materials company is using cutting-edge technology to help the customer ordering process run more smoothly.…

The AI in the Doctor’s Office and Other News

Howie and Harlan discuss a breakthrough pain medication, studies on AI-assisted medicine, the explosion of sports gambling, and the health consequences of the shutdown of USAID. Links: A First-in-Class Painkiller “F.D.A. Approves Drug to Treat Pain Without Opioid Effects” “FDA Approves Novel Non-Opioid Treatment for Moderate to Severe Acute Pain”…

Sir Jim Ratcliffe receives University of Oxford’s highest recognition award for philanthropy

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman of INEOS, has been presented with the Sheldon Medal by the University of Oxford in recognition of the company’s exceptionally generous support for research into antimicrobial resistance. A £100 million donation from INEOS in 2021 enabled the University to establish the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial…

Stanford Medicine offers safer, faster way to diagnose invasive mold disease

For people with weakened immune systems, common molds lurking in the environment – in the soil, along damp walls, or on a forgotten apple – can cause dangerous infections deep inside the body. These invasive mold infections can quickly become fatal without treatment, yet they are difficult to diagnose without…

The Broader Shift Away from a Unipolar World: Cultivating ASEAN-BRICS Synergy

The contemporary global framework is becoming increasingly fragmented and multipolar - with changes in our geopolitical and economic landscapes expected to further reshape strategies and potentially, alliances. Nevertheless, it still remains deeply interdependent, especially from a socioeconomic perspective. As global dynamics continue to evolve, it is crucial for stakeholders –…

Veterinary Professionals Act: Modernizing veterinary law

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:4 mins read

On June 6, 2024, Bill 171, the Enhancing Professional Care for Animals Act, 2024, came into law in Ontario. This bill introduces the Veterinary Professionals Act, 2024, a law designed to replace and modernize Ontario’s existing Veterinarians Act. The new act includes several provisions impacting the veterinary community, and while…

AI Data Drop: Handling risky business in half the time

  • Post category:Microsoft
  • Reading time:5 mins read

This story is featured in the WorkLab newsletter. Sign up for it here. Every company needs to be able to assess where and how mistakes get made. Let’s say a banking customer experiences delays when they’re applying for a new loan. That dissatisfaction means that customer service employees, in turn, spend…

Can We Stop Giants From Failing Us?

  • Post category:INSEAD Knowledge
  • Reading time:8 mins read

In early 2024, the door panel blowout from a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in mid-air shocked the world, less than five years since that model was grounded worldwide following two crashes that claimed 346 lives. The urgent question then was: How did that happen? But the more important question really…

The CEO as elite athlete: What business leaders can learn from modern sports

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:14 mins read

Sports fans love to compare today’s athletes to the legends of the past and speculate about who’s the best. While many of us cherish our childhood memories, it’s a cold, hard fact that, in almost every case, today’s athletes would handily defeat their predecessors. As a flamethrowing relief pitcher said…

Cooperation Between Russia and India in the International Associations of the Non-Western World

Russia and India have a long history of fruitful, mutually beneficial cooperation. Its foundations were laid back in the Soviet period. At the time, both economic ties and trusting political dialogue between our countries were actively developing. In many ways, this Soviet legacy formed a solid foundation for the development…

How AI is transforming strategy development

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:14 mins read

At its core, strategy entails deriving insights from facts and data, developing real options based on those insights, making hard-to-reverse choices, and executing initiatives that convert those choices into value. Data analytics has assisted in this work for several decades, but never before has technology been able to not only…

Why Meetings Need a Constructive Devil’s Advocate

Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Meetings are a staple of organizational life. They’re a place where important decisions are made, strategies discussed, and problems tackled. But too often, meetings don’t deliver the desired outcomes. Teams convene regularly — sometimes out of habit rather than necessity — but while agreements…

Banks in Canada: A primer

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:7 mins read

The activities of foreign banks in Canada are regulated and restricted by the Bank Act (Canada) (the Bank Act). The Bank Act does not prevent foreign banks from carrying on any business activity in Canada: rather, the Bank Act restricts how such business activity takes place. Constitution 101 A historical…

Enhancing Teams video quality with Super Resolution, now in public preview

  • Post category:Microsoft
  • Reading time:4 mins read

Microsoft Teams continues to evolve to provide users with the best possible experience in virtual communication. One of the latest advancements is the introduction of Super Resolution (SR) support for Teams that we announced in Microsoft Ignite 2024. It is now available in public preview and will be general available…

First distributed quantum algorithm brings quantum supercomputers closer

The breakthrough addresses quantum’s ‘scalability problem’: a quantum computer powerful enough to be industry-disrupting would have to be capable of processing millions of qubits. Packing all these processors in a single device, however, would require a machine of an immense size. In this new approach, small quantum devices are linked…

Economic mobility: Making lives better now—and for the long term

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:20 mins read

Nearly a decade ago, the Gates Foundation launched the Economic Mobility and Opportunity (EMO) strategy to help remove the barriers that prevent millions of people in poverty from moving up the economic ladder. Focused on 44 million Americans whose incomes are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty…

Map of brain’s appetite centre could enable new treatments for obesity and diabetes

Published today in Nature, this comprehensive resource, called HYPOMAP, provides an unparalleled view of the brain’s appetite centre and promises to accelerate the development of treatments for obesity and diabetes.The hypothalamus is often described as the brain’s ‘control centre’, orchestrating many of the body’s most vital processes. While much of our…

Blue food project taps the ocean’s potential to feed the world

A country of 17,000 islands is at the forefront of a global effort to sustainably feed billions of people in the coming decades. Because it is rich in blue foods – fish, shellfish, seaweed, and aquatic plants – Indonesia is well positioned to pioneer a model for other countries to…

The New Administrative False Claims Act: Key Amendments and Implications

  • Post category:Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Reading time:5 mins read

On December 23, 2024, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 2025 NDAA) (P.L. 118-159) was signed into law. Among its numerous provisions, the FY 2025 NDAA revitalizes an existing but underutilized fraud enforcement mechanism: the Administrative False Claims Act…

DOJ Effectively Pauses Its Civil Rights Division’s Litigation, Which May Impact IER’s Pursuit of New Claims

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:3 mins read

Quick Hits New and ongoing litigation at the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division is essentially frozen indefinitely. The freeze could have implications for the Immigration and Employee Rights Section, which handles claims of citizenship discrimination. Hidden among a flurry of executive orders, within the first week of President Trump’s second term…

Thriving amid tariff shifts: Preparing for the Trump administration

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:3 mins read

As we move through 2025, Canada’s trade landscape remains volatile. Despite a brief reprieve following discussions between Prime Minister Trudeau and President Trump, the threat of renewed tariffs continues to loom over corporate Canada. While diplomatic efforts have provided temporary relief, businesses must stay proactive—policy shifts in the coming weeks…

DEI needed if hiring on merit is your goal

  • Post category:Civility Partners
  • Reading time:12 mins read

Trump has initiated a series of actions aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the federal government. On January 20, he signed Executive Order 14151, titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” directing the Office of Management and Budget to terminate all DEI-related mandates…

Accelerating decarbonization across the farming supply chain

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:8 mins read

On this page: Opportunity | Solution | Impact 0%est. reduction in time needed to build or update MACCs0Koperational data points processed with AI0Kemission data points in Catalyst Zero’s IP The Opportunity Reducing farming’s carbon footprint AGCO Corporation is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery…

Tackling Injuries With AI: The NFL’s Jeff Miller

Topics Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy The Artificial Intelligence and Business Strategy initiative explores the growing use of artificial intelligence in the business landscape. The exploration looks specifically at how AI is affecting the development and execution of strategy in organizations. In collaboration with More in this series Get updates…

Big Game, Big Distractions: Navigating Employment Issues During the Super Bowl

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:4 mins read

Quick Hits Employers may want to proactively address the potential for increased absenteeism on the Monday following the Super Bowl, often called “Super Sick Monday.” With heightened excitement leading up to the game, employers may want to address the potential for distractions and loss of productivity. The National Football League’s…

To disclose, or not to disclose, that is the question

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:7 mins read

The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) is set to revisit the definition of “material change” this year. The SCC’s decision in the appeal in Lundin Mining Corporation, et al. v. Dov Markowich (Lundin Mining), heard on January 15, 2025, could have significant consequences for reporting issuers and the broader Canadian…

Collectible cars: From niche market to growth and innovation engine

  • Post category:McKinsey & Company
  • Reading time:25 mins read

Mercedes-Benz made only two 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupés. The two-seat cars, which were manufactured in 1955, are nicknamed “The Red” and “The Blue” based on their interior colors. With long, sleek hoods and passenger doors that open from the top, the cars were designed for the racetrack and had a…

The Right Approach to State Regulation of AI

This commentary originally appeared in the Hartford Courant. In the last week, financial markets and the tech sector experienced a convulsive shock akin to the Russian Sputnik surprise of 1957. While recent advancements—honestly achieved or not—by DeepSeek have leaders reconsidering their approach to the development of artificial intelligence, it is…

Oxford researchers urge reforms to improve global wildlife trade regulation as CITES turns 50

Billions of people worldwide depend on wild species for food security, livelihoods, income generation, and well-being. Achieving long-term sustainability in the trade and use of wild species is a key global priority—not only for conservation but also to support the billions of people who rely on these species. CITES (the…

Nourishing the collective being

Several groups across Stanford will recognize and celebrate Black History Month this February with events including a speaker series, a pop-up shop, a service day at the farm, and more.Many events are part of the Black Community Services Center’s Black Liberation Month programming, this year themed “Food Justice Is Justice…

Middle East: Dreams About the Future

In recent decades, the Middle East has encountered a range of challenges, including conflicts, revolutions, and economic crises. These challenges have left a significant impact on the region, but have provided an opportunity for its people to drive change, using these experiences to shape a “Middle Eastern Dream” rooted in…

More Shake-Up of NLRB: President Trump Appoints New NLRB Acting General Counsel

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:3 mins read

Quick Hits President Trump appointed William B. Cowen as acting general counsel of the NLRB. The appointment comes after President Trump, in the past week, discharged former NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and her replacement, NLRB Acting General Counsel Jessica Rutter. President Trump also removed NLRB Member Gwynne Wilcox. The…

Managing Supply Chain Risks in the Age of Trump

  • Post category:INSEAD Knowledge
  • Reading time:9 mins read

The global political landscape has transformed dramatically over the past year. Donald Trump’s reelection as US President aside, in Japan, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba leads a fragile minority government after an electoral setback; South Korea faces an unprecedented crisis with the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol; tensions between Taiwan and…