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North American Edition
9th January 2026
 
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THE HOT STORY

DOJ civil rights chief uses social media to identify anti-DEI targets

Bloomberg Law reports that Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division, is using social media to single out anti-DEI targets, including Knoxville Symphony Orchestra CEO Rachel Ford following a series of viral X posts by a musician alleging he was denied a role at the orchestra due to DEI initiatives. “Rachel, we have questions,” Dhillon wrote in a post she shared which listed Ford's email and phone number. “Suggesting a violation of the law has occurred - through social media or press - before a full investigation risks vilifying the target before all the facts are known,” and “undermines the credibility of the department,” said Regan Rush, former chief of the division’s special litigation section.
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CORPORATE

Business got tougher in 2025, WEF survey says

A World Economic Forum survey says companies found it more difficult to do business in 2025 amid a deterioration in global cooperation on issues including trade, climate, technology and security. Nearly four in ten of the 799 executives in 81 economies indicated growing barriers to trade, talent and cross-border capital flows had made it harder to do business. Only 10% of respondents took the opposite point of view. "Undeniably, a series of U.S. tariff announcements in 2025 raised questions about the future of trade," said the WEF in its Global Cooperation Barometer 2026 report, nevertheless observing that the fact that six out of ten executives did not highlight trade problems indicated that many had found ways to readjust.
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WORKFORCE

U.S. weekly jobless claims edge up slightly

The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of people filing for jobless claims in the seven days to January 3rd rose by 8,000 to 208,000, just below the 210,000 expected among economists polled by Reuters. The four-week average of claims, which softens some of the week-to-week volatility, fell by 7,250 to 211,750, while the total number filing for jobless benefits, reported with a one-week lag, grew 56,000 to 1.91m. A separate report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that layoffs announced by U.S.-based employers jumped 58% to a five-year high of 1.206m in 2025. Cost cutting by the federal government and technology companies accounted for the bulk of the planned reductions.
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ECONOMY

Productivity surges to two-year high, easing wage-driven inflation concerns

U.S. labor productivity grew at a 4.9% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2025, the fastest pace in two years, as businesses invested in technology to offset rising costs and worker shortages. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unit labor costs fell 1.9% for a second straight quarter - the first back-to-back decline since 2019 - suggesting wage pressures are not fueling inflation. The productivity rebound comes despite a cooling labor market and coincides with signs of renewed hiring and investment, including advances tied to artificial intelligence and capital spending incentives in President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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LEGAL

U.N. says the U.S. has ‘legal obligation’ to fund agencies

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the United States has a “legal obligation” to keep paying its dues that fund U.N. agencies after the Trump administration said it will withdraw from dozens of international organizations operated by the world body, including the U.N.'s population agency and the U.N. treaty that establishes international climate negotiations. “As we have consistently underscored, assessed contributions to the United Nations regular budget and peacekeeping budget, as approved by the General Assembly, are a legal obligation under the U.N. Charter for all Member States, including the United States,” Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for Guterres, said in a statement.
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TECHNOLOGY

Trump says AI will create an abundance of jobs

President Trump has expressed confidence in the future of artificial intelligence, saying it would produce an abundance of jobs. He also dismissed the notion that the technology could fuel cyberattacks. “Whoever wins the artificial intelligence war is going to be really the leader of the world,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Times.

McGuireWoods tightens fact-checking systems

Law firm McGuireWoods says it has tightened its fact-checking systems and overall legal writing training after a court identified a number of false references by one of the firm's attorneys in briefs for two cases in federal court in Atlanta in November. “This was not a case of a typographical-type error or a couple of small inaccuracies,” observed U.S Magistrate Judge Justin Anand.

 
Law
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TAX

Nvidia CEO unbothered by proposed California billionaires tax

Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, one of the world’s richest individuals, says he is “perfectly fine” with California’s proposed 5% one-time tax on billionaires, which is intended to fund healthcare, education, and food assistance. Despite a potential $7bn bill based on his $155.8bn fortune, Huang affirmed his commitment to Silicon Valley, citing the region’s talent pool. Other tech elite individuals left the state ahead of the January 1st residency deadline. On New Year's Eve, Peter Thiel announced he was opening a Miami office of Thiel Capital as he shifted his residency to Florida. Venture capitalist and current AI czar David Sacks also announced his departure from California for Austin.
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INTERNATIONAL

Japanese companies play Cupid to prevent burnout

Japanese companies are introducing corporate-only dating apps to help retain workers at risk of burnout amid labor shortages. These apps allow employees to connect with supportive partners from other vetted firms. “Single employees don't say anything, but they are under strain,” said Yuichiro Kayano, general manager of the career design promotion department at credit card company Orico. One such app, Aill goen, has been adopted by over 1,500 companies including Toyota. Participation is limited to employers that meet criteria such as having established childcare leave systems and policies to promote women's participation in the workplace. These companies aim to match workers with partners from similarly supportive working environments.

McDonald's in U.K. faces harassment allegations from unions

Five trade unions have reported McDonald's to the National Contact Point (NCP) - an independent unit which sits with the Department for Business and Trade - for failing to address sexual harassment against young staff in its U.K. restaurants. The unions allege that junior workers, primarily teenagers, have faced persistent harassment since at least 2019. The complaint said there had been "evidence of persistent, deeply rooted gender-based discrimination" in McDonald's restaurants, in breach of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) guidelines. The NCP has determined that the complaint merits further investigation and will offer mediation. McDonald's has said it cannot be held accountable for incidents in its franchised locations, which comprise most of its 1,450 U.K. branches.

Singapore's AI bootcamp aims to retrain 35,000 bankers

The banking sector in Singapore is rapidly adopting AI technology. Singapore's Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said major banks including DBS, OCBC, and UOB aim to retrain 35,000 staff over the next one to two years. “The government is doing something about it because they realise that this capability and this change is actually infusing potentially a lot of fear,” said Violet Chung, a senior partner at McKinsey & Co. “Given what we've seen in other markets like the U.S. where we're seeing much more aggressive job cuts and reductions, the government is essentially aware that we need to do something as a country to do something for these leading companies.”
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OTHER

Americans lose appetite for pizza

Once dominant in U.S. dining, pizza chains are now declining amid shifting consumer habits and industry struggles. Sales growth has lagged fast food, and major players including Papa John’s and Pizza Hut face slumping sales and operational challenges. “Pizza is disrupted right now,” said Ravi Thanawala, Papa John’s CFO. Bankruptcy filings, store closures, and falling rankings in cuisine popularity reflect the industry's turmoil. Chains are responding with strategic shifts - from price wars to menu revamps - to regain consumer interest in an increasingly competitive market.
 
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