To the casual observer, 2024 may have felt like yet another difficult year for private equity (PE) globally. Fundraising remained tough—down 24 percent year over year for traditional commingled vehicles, marking the third consecutive year of decline. Investment returns were muted, especially compared with buoyant public markets. Our analysis reveals…
In a decisive shift from the prior administration’s energy policies, President Trump has enacted a series of executive orders aimed at bolstering domestic fossil fuel production and overhauling the permitting process for energy projects. These actions underscore the administration’s commitment to achieving energy independence, expediting infrastructure development, and reinforcing the…
Quick Hits New York’s General Obligations Law (GOL) § 5-336 and Civil Practice Law and Rules (“CPLR”) § 5003-B both impose strict requirements on nondisclosure clauses in matters involving discrimination claims, including that the inclusion of such clauses in a settlement agreement be at the plaintiff’s preference. The U.S. District…
What to know Building capacity for renewable energy projects is a key priority for the current British Columbia government and they have recently announced that they will introduce new legislation for renewable energy projects in the spring of 2025. If passed, the legislation will expand the authority of the British…
A successful AI transformation starts with a strong security foundation. With a rapid increase in AI development and adoption, organizations need visibility into their emerging AI apps and tools. Microsoft Security provides threat protection, posture management, data security, compliance, and governance to secure AI applications that you build and use.…
During the second half of the 1990s and the first decade of the 21stcentury, the family of ASEAN-centric institutions expanded to include the ASEAN Regional Forum on Security (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting with Dialogue Partners (ADMM+), the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF), and…
Some efforts to preserve or rewild natural habitats are shifting harmful land use to other parts of the world – and this could drive an even steeper decline in the planet’s species, according to a team of conservation scientists and economists led by the University of Cambridge. Researchers from over a…
B2B sales leaders today stand at a crossroads. The environment they face is dynamic and challenging. Economic growth is uneven across the world, competition is evolving, and B2B customers are adopting many more consumer-like behaviors, seeking more robust buying experiences, and showing a willingness to find alternative vendors. How can…
By: Dawn Lurie, Mia Batista, and Fanny Wong On January 20, 2025, the Trump administration issued the Securing Our Borders executive order, citing national security, crime prevention, and the protection of American interests as justification for terminating categorical parole programs for certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. Then on February…
February has brought about a dynamic and evolving situation surrounding the threat of tariffs impacting several key sectors, including the automotive industry. From the 30 day “pause” of 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico to the recent imposition of 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum, with a “no…
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, say their solar-powered reactor could be used to make fuel to power cars and planes, or the many chemicals and pharmaceuticals products we rely on. It could also be used to generate fuel in remote or off-grid locations.Unlike most carbon capture technologies, the…
Does your workplace feel like a daily battle for survival? Endless conflict, backstabbing, bullying, and leadership that turns a blind eye… Sound familiar? For too many professionals, the workplace isn’t a place of productivity and growth; it’s a source of anxiety and stress. Toxic behaviors, dysfunctional cultures, and unchecked hostility…
The defense ecosystem today is at a critical junction, ripe with opportunity for private capital, the traditional defense industrial base (DIB), and other commercial players such as hyperscalers to take critical roles in leading disruption within the innovation pipeline. Yet the window to reorient how public and private organizations invest…
President Donald Trump has made some intriguing headlines pointing towards the potential plan of the United States of America to take over the Gaza Strip, aiming to transform it into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. This plan involves relocating the Palestinian population, a move widely criticised as ethnic cleansing…
Innovation and growth are inherently linked. Companies that build new businesses and develop new offerings, processes, or business models are better able to capture growth opportunities and hedge against disruption in a highly uncertain business environment. This conclusion was forcefully reinforced in our recent survey of 1,039 companies around the…
Depending how it’s done, comparing oneself to colleagues can be either motivating or demoralizing. Consider these tips on making productive comparisons. Michael Matthews, Thomas Kelemen, and Mark Bolino February 12, 2025 Reading Time: 5 min Carolyn Geason-Beissel/MIT SMR | Getty Images As social animals, we constantly compare ourselves with other…
What happens when a party attempts to sidestep the strict guidelines of a court order? A cannabis company’s non-compliance with an injunction illuminates the consequences of playing with fire. Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company v. Terphogz, LLC U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Case: 1:21-cv-02357. In 2021, Wm.…
Quick Hits Employers may need to provide religious accommodations to Muslim workers during the month of Ramadan. Ramadan will begin on the evening of February 28, 2025, or March 1, 2025, depending on the moon. Ramadan will end on the evening of March 29, 2025, or March 30, 2025, with…
AI arms races. The Stargate Project. Billions of dollars of investment. Current headlines about artificial intelligence read like science fiction. But these rapid technological developments (along with significant amounts of hype) are very real, and can be anxiety-inducing for lawyers and in-house counsel trying to understand how AI — and…
The findings, published today in Science Advances, suggest that such individuals will need regular vaccine boosters to protect them and reduce the risk of infections that could be severe and also lead to new ‘variants of concern’ emerging.Almost 16 million people worldwide are estimated to have died from Covid-19 during…
Core technology remains a huge challenge for the banking industry, with a majority of financial institutions still running on mainframe-based systems because switching to other options is such a monumental task. In this episode of Talking Banking Matters, McKinsey payments sector expert Roshan Varadarajan speaks with one of the entrepreneurial…
‘Are we alone in the universe?’ and ‘What does it mean to be human?’ were among the questions explored when another large audience of staff, students and alumni gathered at the Sheldonian Theatre to enjoy the University’s second Sheldonian Series event on Tuesday 11 February.Launched in Michaelmas and convened by…
Developed collaboratively by representatives from across the UK’s research and innovation sector, including universities, research institutes and funding organisations, the Concordat is a commitment and shared ambition to embed environmental sustainability in research practice, culture, and approach throughout the signed organisations, and collectively as a sector. "Not only is the Concordat…
California Employers, Watch For Sharp Turns Ahead If you operate a business in California, you know how difficult it is to keep up with ever-changing legal trends. California employers should review and refresh their workplace postings each year to keep up with legislative changes and annual minimum wage increases. Various…
Quick Hits Nevada OSHA has introduced a new regulation to protect employees from heat illness, with enforcement starting on April 29, 2025. The heat illness regulation requires Nevada employers with more than ten employees to create a written safety program and conduct a job hazard analysis (JHA). Employers are required…
Celebrate Safer Internet Day 2025 with Minecraft’s CyberSafe AI: Dig Deeper. Promote online safety and practice responsible AI use with your class. Each year, Safer Internet Day unites people around the world to spotlight critical topics like cyberbullying, social networking, and digital identity. The need for cyber safety education and…
Companies like WeWork have experienced this shift. During periods of rapid growth and expansion, the board likely took a more passive approach, trusting former CEO Adam Neumann’s vision and strategies. However, as the company faced challenges and scrutiny, the board became more active, intervening in decision-making and even replacing the CEO.Likewise, during…
The global debate on whether and how social media content should be regulated has flared up again in recent months. Citing freedom of expression, the platform operators X and Meta have relaxed regulations intended to restrict discriminatory statements. Meanwhile, Australia has banned social media access for children under 16.There is…
Malaysia needs to look beyond the differences and uncertainties which characterise international conflict instead of seeing them as a negative aspect, and seize opportunities to establish global balance in this multipolar world, Abdul Haziq Kongid writes. Malaysia’s role as the ASEAN Chair in 2025 marks a pivotal moment for the region. By prioritising inclusivity, sustainability, economic diversification, and balanced leadership,…
Our Open Source Approach Open source AI has the potential to unlock unprecedented technological progress. It levels the playing field, giving people access to powerful and often expensive technology for free, which enables competition and innovation that produce tools that benefit individuals, society and the economy. Open sourcing AI is…
Frontiers Risk management in many organizations is hampered by disparate teams that don’t collaborate or share technology. Richard Chambers February 11, 2025 Reading Time: 8 min Topics Frontiers An MIT SMR initiative exploring how technology is reshaping the practice of management. More in this series A. Richard Allen/theispot.com Companies today…
Quick Hits Tax connections: Establishing a PE can result in the obligation to file corporate taxes abroad. Local registration: Although PE is primarily a tax concept, it may coincide with requirements to register with local business authorities as a foreign entity conducting business in the country. Understanding ‘Permanent Establishment’ A…
Tantalum, tungsten, tin and gold have long been classed as “conflict minerals”1. But they are an even greater source of conflict now that everyone knows the climate and technology transitions are impossible without them. Simply put, they are the foundation stone of promises of growth, and therefore a major political…
The financial services industry is reaching an important milestone with AI, as organizations move beyond testing and experimentation to successful AI implementation, driving business results. NVIDIA’s fifth annual State of AI in Financial Services report shows how financial institutions have consolidated their AI efforts to focus on core applications, signaling…
Row4Ukraine is a charity awareness-driving mission designed to highlight the human cost of the war in Ukraine and raise funds for the rehabilitation of Ukrainian service personnel. The team comprised injured servicemen from the UK and Ukraine, working together to row 3,000 miles from Gran Canaria to Barbados in less…
A new report by researchers at Stanford and Harvard finds that while the average U.S. student still lags behind pre-pandemic achievement levels in reading and math, students in a number of school districts across the country have regained the ground they lost in both subjects.The analysis, which provides exclusive data…
11 February 2025By Marinela-Daniela Filip, Daphne Momferatou and Susana Parraga-Rodriguez At the heart of the euro area’s competitiveness challenges lies weak productivity growth. The ECB Blog looks at how this makes it more difficult to carry out monetary policy. While companies in the euro area are getting more productive, they…
Quick Hits A coalition of DEI advocates has initiated a legal challenge against President Trump’s executive orders to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, claiming they are unconstitutional and infringe on free speech rights. The lawsuit argues that the vague language of the executive orders creates uncertainty that could lead…
Researchers from academic institutions in Africa, South America, the United States, and Europe congregated to celebrate the launch and demonstrate their commitment to global epilepsy research and care.Based at Wolfson College within the University of Oxford, and generously supported by the BAND Foundation, the Centre for Global Epilepsy will address…
At a glance Quality, affordable housing is out of reach for far too many Americans. This issue touches rural and urban households, young and old, poor and middle class, and households across racial groups. Housing, and where that housing is located, matters a lot. Housing significantly determines access to employment,…