System to auto-detect new variants will inform better response to future infectious disease outbreaks

The new approach uses samples from infected humans to allow real-time monitoring of pathogens circulating in human populations, and enable vaccine-evading bugs to be quickly and automatically identified. This could inform the development of vaccines that are more effective in preventing disease.The approach can also quickly detect emerging variants with…

New York Launches Initiative to Minimize Injuries Among Warehouse Employees

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:6 mins read

Quick Hits The Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program (WWIRP) applies to all employers that directly or indirectly employ at least 100 employees at a single warehouse distribution center or at least 1,000 employees at one or more warehouse distribution centers in New York. Effective June 1, 2025, the WWIRP mandates…

2025 Lessons in Sustainability – Forging a Better Future

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

The year 2023 was named the hottest on record, and 2024 is on track to be even warmer. We are already feeling the impact of the climate emergency, but the problem runs deeper. Climate change is just one symptom of our planet’s health crisis. From resource depletion to social inequality, the…

Rules of Reckoning

The global crisis that we are experiencing is aggravated by an intellectual crisis of world political thought. Nevertheless, people are inventive, and maybe AI will help, writes Valdai Club Chairman Andrey Bystritskiy. There is virtually no doubt that the problems of 2024 will reappear in full and even with reinforcements in 2025. One of the reasons for the protracted global political crisis…

Managing Change in the Workplace – 2025

Business leaders today are juggling more than ever, from creating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to managing conflict in highly-charged environments. The brunt of the pandemic may be behind us, but its effects continue to ripple deep throughout today’s workplace. Even before the death of George Floyd and the…

Ho Ho Oh No: 12 Employment Cases That Shocked in 2024

In the spirit of the season, we’re decking the halls with 12 unforgettable workplace mishaps of this year because who says the 12 Days of Christmas should only be about partridges and pear trees? 1. Age Discrimination: A windy workplace incident Lee Marsh, a manager at Birmingham City Council, was…

Key State Laws Set to Take Effect on January 1, 2025

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:16 mins read

Quick Hits New state laws on paid leaves, discrimination protections, child labor, medical marijuana, and workplace safety are set to take effect on January 1, 2025. Employers may want to take note of these new laws and compliance obligations. California California has several laws set to take effect on January…

New Year Honours 2025

Professor Alison Etheridge DBE FRS, Professor of Probability at Oxford’s Department of Statistics, has been appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to Mathematical Sciences. Much of her work focuses on infinite dimensional stochastic processes and their applications. Most recently her central interest has…

MIT SMR’s 10 AI Must-Reads for 2024

Topics Data, AI, & Machine Learning AI & Machine Learning subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images The wave of transformation that artificial intelligence tools — large language models and generative AI, in particular — have unleashed feels unprecedented. Unlike previous technological waves, these tools are disrupting even…

Fifth Circuit Nullifies Nasdaq’s Diversity Rule for Corporate Boards

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:6 mins read

Quick Hits The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated an SEC order approving a Nasdaq rule that would have required public companies to maintain a certain number of board members from underrepresented demographic groups or explain why they failed to do so. The diversity rule never took effect while it…

Russia’s covert propaganda network is largely ineffective, new study finds

A study led by The University of Manchester which examined the extent and effectiveness of Russian state-sponsored online propaganda efforts has found that - despite significant investment - the Kremlin's attempts to influence Western media and public opinion are largely failing. Focusing the recent EU elections, researchers analysed the output…

Has Iran Lost Everything in Syria? Probably Not, for Ten Reasons

Based on these evidences and reasons, many analysts have considered Iran the main loser in the recent developments in Syria (Eliot A. Cohen, Lyuba Lulko & Dmitry Sudakov, Natasha Hall and Joost Hiltermann & Nicholas Kristof). But are these judgments correct, and has Iran lost everything in Syria?  The ultimate…

What Oprah and Xi Jinping Can Teach Us about Status and Power

A few years ago, Tuck assistant professor Sonya Mishra was talking with her research colleagues, Charlotte Townsend and Laura Kray, about the Forbes rankings of the “Most Powerful People” and the “Most Powerful Women.” They noticed something intriguing. An assistant professor of business administration at Tuck, Sonya Mishra teaches Leading…

AI Expands Potential for Discovery in Physics

  • Post category:Carnegie Mellon
  • Reading time:7 mins read

The long-standing interplay between artificial intelligence and the evolution of physics played a pivotal role in awarding the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics to two AI trailblazers. “AI for physics and physics for AI are concepts you hear,” said Matteo Cremonesi(opens in new window), an assistant professor of physics at…

Court of Appeal declares that India is not immune from the Devas investors’ enforcement efforts and reinstates IATA seizure

  • Post category:BLG law firm
  • Reading time:14 mins read

The evolving landscape of state immunity in award-enforcement proceedings in Canada The rise of investor-state disputes, which has taken place globally over the last two decades, has led to a growing number of recognition and enforcement proceedings of foreign arbitral awards before Canadian courts by award creditors seeking to execute…

Disruptive forces & critical success factors for the consumer packaged goods industry

  • Post category:Elixirr
  • Reading time:8 mins read

Executives in the consumer packaged goods industry face a complex landscape marked by increased competition, evolving consumer behaviours and the need for sustainability. Although inflation is expected to stabilise, ongoing shifts in consumer expectations and market dynamics demand innovative strategies to preserve profitability and enhance resilience. As interest rates begin…

Alternatives-2024: Results of the Valdai Discussion Club Expert Programme

In 2024, Valdai Club continued its cooperation with colleagues from Pakistan, which has been actively developing for several years. In April, 2024, the Club held a Russian-Pakistani conference on strategic stability, a topic that is becoming extremely acute amid the current geopolitical conditions. Pakistan, as a nuclear power, has its…

From Then to Now: The History of Loyalty Retail Programs 

In today’s consumer landscape, loyalty retail programs are seamlessly woven into both traditional brick-and-mortar stores and the digital realm of eCommerce. They serve as powerful tools to enhance customer retention, and to truly understand their significance and growth, we break down the history of loyalty retail programs below.  18th to…

Federal District Court Dismisses Another 401(k) Forfeitures Suit

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

Seyfarth Synopsis:  Since September 2023, there have been at least 25 lawsuits filed claiming the ability to choose between using 401(k) forfeitures to reduce plan expenses or the plan sponsor’s contributions is a fiduciary choice, and that choosing to reduce the plan sponsor’s contributions constitutes a violation of ERISA’s fiduciary…

The EU Steps Up the Fight Against Sanctions Evasion

The EU’s coercive measures no longer act as an alternative to secondary sanctions. On the contrary, administrative and criminal prosecution can be combined with the use of secondary restrictions, which creates additional risks for European businesses still working with Russian partners, writes Polina Chupriyanova, Program Coordinator at the Russian International…

Five Tune-Ups Your Company Needs in 2025

subscribe-icon Subscribe Share Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images Here at MIT Sloan Management Review, we’re lucky to have a growing number of columnists — true experts who write on their topics regularly — to share the latest lessons and trends that they’re seeing in their fields. Our columnists are…

Keeping Your Ducks in H-1B Row: Compliance Strategies for Employers

  • Post category:Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Reading time:13 mins read

With an incoming administration vocal about its stance on immigration enforcement and safeguarding U.S. workers, employers who hire foreign workers on H-1B visas should make certain that they are maintaining compliance with U.S. immigration regulations. To avoid potential fines, penalties, or jeopardizing the status and work authorization of H-1B employees,…

Additional Protections for Seattle App-Based Workers Take Effect On January 1, 2025

  • Post category:Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Reading time:6 mins read

Seattle continues to expand protections for app-based workers (sometimes referred to as “gig workers”) working within the City of Seattle with its new App-Based Worker Deactivation Rights Ordinance.  Overview of the New Ordinance Effective January 1, 2025, the City of Seattle’s “Ordinance relating to app-based worker labor standards; establishing labor…

Stanford art museums welcome visitors over the holidays

While the campus is closed for winter break from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3, Stanford’s art museums will remain open during regular hours, and campus visitors are welcome to explore the outdoor public art collection. The Anderson Collection’s 10th-anniversary exhibitions celebrate the museum’s roots and what it means to live with…

(Smart)Watch Out! The EEOC’s Take on Wearable Tech

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

By: Taylor Iaculla, Yoon-Woo Nam, and Andrew L. Scroggins Seyfarth Synopsis: On December 19, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) published a new fact sheet titled “Wearables in the Workplace: Using Wearable Technologies Under Federal Employment Discrimination Laws.” The fact sheet describes some of the technologies employees may be…

Indonesia With BRICS, A Bridge to the Future: Challenges and Opportunities

Indonesia’s unique opportunity with BRICS emphasises how it can navigate the new multipolar order while preserving its non-aligned and democratic values. As Indonesia considers joining BRICS, it stands at a crossroads, where aligning with emerging powers could unlock new growth while also challenging its traditional diplomatic principles, taking public benefits…

New book explores poet W.H. Auden’s life between two world wars

For many contemporary readers, their first introduction to the poetry of W.H. Auden came not in a course on English literature, but from a more mainstream source: the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, in which a character recites Auden’s 1937 poem Funeral Blues during the titular funeral.“It’s incredibly touching that…

Driving social change in 2024 with the Q5 Foundation

  • Post category:Q5 Partners
  • Reading time:7 mins read

Reflecting on a year of meaningful impact 2024 was an amazing year for the Q5 Foundation, as we deepened our commitment to social impact and supported over 30 charities and community organisations globally. Together, we achieved remarkable milestones that demonstrate the power of collaboration, expertise, and passion. Reading time: 6…

EPA-pocalypse Now!

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

Seyfarth Synopsis: A second Trump administration is likely to bring sweeping changes to environmental regulatory and enforcement agendas. During the first Trump term, his administration focused on significant deregulation in the environmental sector, including budget cuts and staff reductions at USEPA, and the rollback of key policies from the Obama…

DHS Finalizes H-2 Program Regulations, Expanding Worker Protections and Employer Hiring Options

  • Post category:Ogletree Deakins
  • Reading time:10 mins read

Quick Hits DHS’s new final rule expands DHS’s authority to conduct site visits and impose penalties on employers that fail to follow the requirements of the program. The final rule expands H-2 worker flexibility and portability, includes expanded grace periods at the beginning and end of the H-2 petition validity…

FTC Posts $20 Million Settlement With Dealer Group For Alleged Deceptive Practices

  • Post category:Seyfarth Shaw LLP
  • Reading time:4 mins read

On Thursday, December 19, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Illinois Attorney General announced a massive $20 million settlement with Leader Automotive Group, the operator of 10 dealerships in and around Bloomington, Illinois, for alleged unfair and deceptive acts and practices in connection with the sale of motor vehicles…

New Illinois Law Prohibiting Employment Discrimination Against Caregivers to Take Effect January 1, 2025

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

Quick Hits Illinois enacted a law prohibiting discrimination against employees who must care for family members at home. The law will not require employers to make accommodations or modifications to reasonable workplace rules and policies to allow employees to fulfill their caregiving responsibilities. The law will take effect on January…

Reflecting on Season 3 of Learning Through Experience

Thank you for tuning in this season on the Learning Through Experience podcast! In this season 3 reflection episode, I take a step back to reflect on the key themes, conversations, and experiences that shaped the show. This season featured several insightful and impactful conversations. I highlight discussions with guests…