set

SETI Institute and Partners Pioneer Search for Extraterrestrial Signals Beyond the Milky Way

Are we alone in the universe, and could we find intelligent life beyond the confines of our Milky Way Galaxy? This is what a first-of-its-kind study conduc



  • Earth & The Environment

set

Drug Prevents Migraine When Taken Before Onset

Ubrogepant may be able to prevent or reduce migraine symptoms if taken during the early signs of a migraine attack and before headache begins.




set

How to Write a Long-Term Financial Plan for Asset Management

Organizer: Asset Management BC
Location: Online




set

Property Tax Policy & Tax Rate Setting

Organizer: Government Finance Officers Association of British Columbia
Location: Vancouver




set

Massachusetts Attorney General Publishes Long-Anticipated Guidance on the Revised Pay Equity Law

The Massachusetts Attorney General has recently published an Overview and Frequently Asked Questions (the “Overview”) regarding the amendment to the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, set to take effect on July 1, 2018.  The Overview answers many questions that employers have been asking about this wide-ranging new law.  The Overview also confirms the importance of an employer self-evaluation, offering some direction on what types of evaluations are appropriate, and explaining how it could protect a company from liability under the law.

The New Equal Pay Act




set

California Further Restricts "Non-Disparagement" Provisions in Employment Settlement and Severance Agreements

In 2019, California adopted several laws that restricted “non-disclosure" provisions in employment-related agreements.  Those laws, passed in the wake of the “me too” movement, limited non-disclosure provisions in settlement agreements for lawsuits and administrative agency charges involving allegations of sexual harassment.1  They also limited the use of non-disclosure provisions in exchange for a raise or a bonus, or as a co




set

Massachusetts Revises Its Workers’ Compensation Notice Requirement

Stephen T. Melnick discusses the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA)’s revised workers’ compensation notice for employees, which Massachusetts employers will start using Sept. 16, 2024.

SHRM

View (Subscription required)




set

What Comes After 2051 Pension Relief Sunset? It Depends, Attorneys Say

Sarah Bryan Fask explains how the special financial assistance will affect union-brokered pensions.

Bloomberg Law

View (Subscription required.) 




set

Texas Court Sets Aside the FTC’s Non-Compete Rule with Nationwide Effect

Employers that rely on non-compete agreements to protect their trade secrets and other legitimate business interests got some welcome news on August 20.




set

Revised Poster Requirement in Massachusetts Starting September 16, 2024

The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (DIA) has published a revised workers’ compensation Notice to Employees, which Massachusetts employers should use starting September 16, 2024.




set

When Will a Settlement Agreement Preclude a False Claims Act Action?

A recent District of Columbia federal court ruling reminds employers that a severance agreement containing a release of claims under the False Claims Act does not guarantee dismissal of a suit on those grounds.

Background on the FCA




set

Joint Employment and the Cat’s Paw: Oregon Court of Appeals Sets Precedent

  • The Oregon Court of Appeals, for the first time, applied the “cat’s paw” theory of imputed liability between joint employers in a whistleblower case regardless of whether the alleged biased individual was subordinate to the co-employer’s decisionmaker or employed by the same entity.
  • This case could impact Oregon employers using staffing arrangements, contingent workers, and work-sharing agreements.




set

Massachusetts Considers Incentivizing the Four-Day Workweek

Stephen T. Melnick talks about a new bill that proposes to give a tax credit to businesses in Massachusetts that join a pilot program to explore the possible benefits of a shorter workweek.

WorldatWork

View




set

New French Profit-Sharing Act Sets 2025 Deadline for Profitable Small Companies

In France, profit-sharing is the new black. After years of statutory value-sharing bonuses (starting in 2018) and the introduction of compulsory profit-sharing schemes in companies with at least 50 employees (since 2020), the government encouraged trade unions to finalize a national and intersectoral collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on the subject of profit-sharing. This led to a CBA signed in February 2023. The new Profit-Sharing Act of November 19, 2023 transposes this CBA into law and adds some new provisions.




set

Massachusetts Revises Guidance on Paid Family and Medical Leave

Ellen Donovan McCann, Alice Kokodis and Jim Paretti explain the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave’s new, more employer-friendly guidance.

SHRM Online

View (Subscription required.)




set

Massachusetts Expands Reasons for Use of Earned Sick Time

The Massachusetts legislature has expanded the reasons employees can use Massachusetts Earned Sick Time through provisions in a larger bill entitled, “An Act Promoting Access to Midwifery Care and Out-of-Hospital Birth Options.”  Employees may now use Massachusetts Earned Sick Time to “address the employee’s own physical and mental health needs, and those of their spouse, if the employee or the employee’s spouse experiences pregnancy loss or a failed assisted reproduction, adoption or surrogacy.”




set

Implementation of Connecticut’s Clean Slate Law Set to Begin January 1, 2023

Earlier this month, Governor Ned Lamont announced the long-awaited implementation of the state’s so-called “Clean Slate Act” – sort of.  According to a recent press release, January 1, 2023 will see the full or partial erasure in some 44,000 cases involving convictions for cannabis possession.  Individuals with eligible convictions for other crimes, including most misdemeanors and certain lesser felonies, will have to wait until the second half of 2023 as a result of implementation delays.

The Clean Slate Law & How it Works




set

Massachusetts Latest State Expected to Restrict Access to Credit Reports for Employment Purposes

On March 14, 2024, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed legislation that would add a new provision to the Massachusetts Consumer Protection law and would bar the use of true credit reports for employment purposes, i.e., for the purpose of evaluating an individual for employment, promotion, reassignment, or retention as an employee.  The legislation, entitled An Act Reducing Barriers to Employment Through Credit Discrimination (H.1434), is expected to be adopted by the Massachusetts Senate and promptly signed into law by Governor Maura Healy.  Once adopted, th




set

Dear Littler: How should employers revise their releases, separation agreements, and settlement agreements in light of the Speak Out Act?

Dear Littler: Considering the recent passage of the federal Speak Out Act limiting the use of pre-dispute nondisclosure and non-disparagement clauses involving sexual assault and sexual harassment claims, what impact will this have on our template releases, separation agreements, and litigation settlement agreements? How do you recommend we revise those documents?

                                         —Revising Releases

Dear Revising,




set

Settled a Lawsuit with a Government Agency Last Year? Form 1098-F Reporting of Fines and Penalties is Coming Due

  • 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changed rules relating to when penalties/fines paid to or at the direction of a government agency can be deducted as a business expense.
  • Certain payments to government agencies, such as the EEOC, as part of employment lawsuit settlements, are affected.
  • To this end, Agencies will start issuing information returns, IRS Form 1098-F, to affected employers.




set

Court Holds Backup Withholding Required by Law Does Not Violate a Settlement Agreement

In Escano v. Innovative Financial Partners, LLC,1 a magistrate judge held that the defendants’ decision to withhold funds from a payment required under a settlement agreement when the plaintiff refused to provide a Form W-9 did not violate the agreement.




set

The Massachusetts PFML: 2025 Contribution Rates and Benefit Amounts

The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave (Department) just announced the 2025 weekly benefit amount and contribution rates for both employers and employees under the state’s Paid Family and Medical Leave benefit program, which is funded through a payroll tax.




set

Lessons from Recent IER Settlements

Over the past few months, the Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) of the Department of Justice has entered into several settlements from which employers can learn some valuable lessons so that these discriminatory practices are not followed.

In a recent settlement, a transportation and parking management company agreed to settle an IER charge to resolve IER’s determination that the company discriminated against the Charging Party when it refused to honor the employee’s valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD).




set

2024 Massachusetts Employment Law Update




set

Recent and Current Strategies, Litigation, Settlements and What’s on the Horizon




set

Littler Welcomes Shareholder Seth Mehrten in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (November 4, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Seth G. Mehrten as a shareholder in its Fresno office. Mehrten joins the firm from Barsamian & Moody.




set

Ontario, Canada Appellate Court Provides Guidance to Employers on How to Draft Employment Settlement Documents

  • The Court of Appeal for Ontario found that settlement documents signed after an employee separated from employment prevented him from suing for the value of vested stock options.
  • The OCA emphasized that the employee had executed the settlement documents with the benefit of legal advice and that they clearly released the employee’s entitlement to the damages claimed.




set

Trump’s Populism Set to Clash With Senate GOP on Labor Nominees

Michael Lotito says to expect clashes between the populist and business-friendly wings of the GOP over Trump’s labor nominations.

Bloomberg Law

View (Subscription required)




set

GOP Election Wins May Set Stage For Curbing Workplace DEI

Jim Paretti says DEI initiatives under a Republican administration will "be under a lot more scrutiny" and subject to tighter limits.

Law360 Employment Authority

View (Subscription required)




set

"CALLING THE SHOTS" A report commissioned by ETSI calls on EU to retake global leadership in digital standard setting

"CALLING THE SHOTS" A report commissioned by ETSI calls on EU to retake global leadership in digital standard setting

Sophia Antipolis, 10 October 2019

The report Calling the Shots: Standardization for EU Competitiveness in a Digital Era, was drawn up by an independent panel of experts brought together by Kreab at the request of ETSI and led by Carl Bildt, former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden. The panel who met during the first half year of 2019, gathered insights and experience from industry, politics and academia. 

Read More...




set

ETSI’s new group on COVID-19 tracing apps interoperability moving fast: officials elected and work programme set up

ETSI’s new group on COVID-19 tracing apps interoperability moving fast: officials elected and work programme set up

Sophia Antipolis, 11 June 2020

The ETSI E4P group, “Europe for Privacy-Preserving Pandemic Protection”, launched a month ago has already held two meetings. The work of ISG E4P aims to facilitate the development of backward-compatible and interoperable proximity tracing applications to be used to combat pandemics by helping to break viral transmission chains.

Read More...




set

World’s first non-cellular 5G technology, ETSI DECT-2020, gets ITU-R approval, setting example of new era connectivity

World’s first non-cellular 5G technology, ETSI DECT-2020, gets ITU-R approval, setting example of new era connectivity

Sophia Antipolis, 19 October 2021

ETSI DECT-2020 NR, the world’s first non-cellular 5G technology standard, has been recognized by the WP5D of the International Telecommunication Union’s Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) and included as part of the 5G standards in IMT-2020 technology recommendation. Dr. Günter Kleindl, Chair of the ETSI Technical Committee DECT, says: “With our traditional DECT standard we already received IMT-2000 approval by ITU-R twenty-one years ago, but the requirements for 5G were so much higher, that we had to develop a completely new, but compatible, radio standard.” Released last year, the standard sets an example of future connectivity: the infrastructure-less and autonomous, decentralized technology is designed for massive IoT networks for enterprises. It has no single points of failure and is accessible to anyone, costing only a fraction of the cellular networks both in dollars and in carbon footprint.

Read More...




set

OSC consults on improving retail investor access to long-term asset investments

TORONTO – The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) today




set

Canadian securities regulators issue warning about fraudulent investment solicitations involving crypto assets

Montréal –The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) warns the public about investment schemes involving fraudulent websites that solicit investments in foreign exchange (often referred to as “forex”), binary options and/or crypto assets.




set

How did households in Mali cope with covariate shocks between 2018 and 2023? Exploration of a unique dataset

Citation Marivoet, Wim; and Hema, Aboubacar. 2024. How did households in Mali cope with covariate shocks between 2018 and 2023? Source: IFPRI Africa Regional Office (AFR)




set

Targeting social assistance in fragile settings: An experiment on community-based targeting

Targeting is an important but challenging process in the design and delivery of social and humanitarian assistance programs. Community-based targeting (CBT) approaches are often preferred for their local information advantages, especially when data-driven methods are not feasible. However, how different variants of CBT approaches fare under various constraints and environments remains unclear. For example, it […] Source: IFPRI Ethiopia: Ethiopia Strategy Support Program




set

Integrated and enhanced datasets on food security and household coping strategies in the G5 Sahel Countries (2018-2023)

The objective of this analysis is to gain more insight into the coping behavior of households in Mali when facing covariate shocks and stressors of different kinds Source: IFPRI Africa Regional Office (AFR)




set

Integrated and enhanced datasets on food security and household coping strategies in the G5 Sahel Countries (2018-2023) Copy

The objective of this analysis is to gain more insight into the coping behavior of households in Mali when facing covariate shocks and stressors of different kinds Source: IFPRI Africa Regional Office (AFR)




set

OSC Consultation Paper 81-737 – Opportunity to Improve Retail Investor Access to Long-Term Assets through Investment Fund Product Structures

This document is only available in PDF format.




set

Tenable Research Uncovers Thousands of Vulnerable Cyber Assets Amongst Southeast Asia’s Financial Sector

 New research conducted by Tenable®, Inc., the exposure management company, has uncovered more than 26,500 potential internet-facing assets among Southeast Asia’s top banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) companies by market capitalisation across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

On July 15, 2024, Tenable examined the external attack surface of over 90 BFSI organisations with the largest market capitalisations across the region. The findings revealed that the average organisation possesses nearly 300 internet-facing assets susceptible to potential exploitation, resulting in a total of more than 26,500 assets across the study group.

Singapore ranked the highest among the six countries assessed, with over 11,000 internet-facing assets identified across its top 16 BFSI companies. Over 6,000 of those assets are hosted in the United States. Next on the list is Thailand with over 5000 assets. The distribution of internet-accessible assets underscores the need for cybersecurity strategies that adapt to the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

CountryNumber of internet-facing assets amongst top 90 BFSI companies by market capitalisation
  1. Singapore
11,000
  1. Thailand
5,000
  1. Indonesia
4,600
  1. Malaysia
4,200
  1. Vietnam
3,600
  1. Philippines
2,600

“The results of our study reveal that many financial institutions are struggling to close the priority security gaps that put them at risk. Effective exposure management is key to closing these gaps,” said Nigel Ng, Senior Vice President, Tenable APJ. “By identifying and securing vulnerable assets before they can be exploited, organisations can better protect themselves against the growing tide of cyberattacks.” 


Cyber Hygiene Gaps 
The Tenable study revealed many potential vulnerabilities and exposed several cyber hygiene issues among the study group, including outdated software, weak encryption, and misconfigurations. These vulnerabilities provide cybercriminals with easily exploitable potential entry points, posing potential risk to the integrity and security of financial data. 

Weak SSL/TLS encryption 

A notable finding is that among the total assets, organisations had nearly 2,500 still supporting TLS 1.0—a 25-year old security protocol introduced in 1999 and disabled by Microsoft in September 2022. This highlights the significant challenge organisations with extensive internet footprints face in identifying and updating outdated technologies.

Misconfiguration increases external exposure

Another concerning discovery was that over 4,000 assets, originally intended for internal use, were inadvertently exposed and are now accessible externally. Failing to secure these internal assets poses a significant risk to organisations, as it creates an opportunity for malicious actors to target sensitive information and critical systems.

Lack of encryption 

There were over 900 assets with unencrypted final URLs, which can present a security weakness. When URLs are unencrypted, the data transmitted between the user's browser and the server is not protected by encryption, making it vulnerable to interception, eavesdropping, and manipulation by malicious actors. This lack of encryption can lead to the exposure of sensitive information, such as login credentials, personal data, or payment details, and can compromise the integrity of the communication.


API vulnerabilities amplify risk

The identification of over 2,000 API v3 out of the total number of assets among organisations' digital infrastructure poses a substantial risk to their security and operational integrity.

APIs serve as crucial connectors between software applications, facilitating seamless data exchange. However, inadequate authentication, insufficient input validation, weak access controls, and vulnerabilities in dependencies within API v3 implementations create a vulnerable attack surface.

Malicious actors can exploit such weaknesses to gain unauthorised access, compromise data integrity, and launch devastating cyber attacks.

“The cybersecurity landscape is evolving faster than ever, and financial institutions must evolve with it, so they can know where they are exposed and take action to close critical risk” Ng added. “By prioritising exposure management, these organisations can better protect their digital assets, safeguard customer trust, and ensure the resilience of their operations in an increasingly hostile digital environment.”

About Tenable
Tenable® is the exposure management company, exposing and closing the cybersecurity gaps that erode business value, reputation and trust. The company’s AI-powered exposure management platform radically unifies security visibility, insight and action across the attack surface, equipping modern organizations to protect against attacks from IT infrastructure to cloud environments to critical infrastructure and everywhere in between. By protecting enterprises from security exposure, Tenable reduces business risk for more than 44,000 customers around the globe. Learn more at tenable.com

Notes to Editors:

  1. Tenable examined the top 12-16 BFSI companies discoverable based on market cap. 
  2. In the context of this alert:
  • An asset is a domain name, subdomain, or IP addresses and/or combination thereof of a device connected to the Internet or internal network. An asset may include, but not limited to web servers, name servers, IoT devices, network printers, etc. Example: foo.tld, bar.foo.tld, x.x.x.xs.
  • The Attack Surface is from the network perspective of an adversary, the complete asset inventory of an organisation including all actively listening services (open ports) on each asset.





set

1832 Asset Management L.P.

HeadnoteNational Policy 11-203 -- Process for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions -- Relief granted from NI 41-101 to funds offering exchange-traded and conventional mutual fund series under a single simplified prospectus -- subject to conditions -- Technical relief g




set

Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism (November 13, 2024 11:00am)

Event Begins: Wednesday, November 13, 2024 11:00am
Location: Museum of Art
Organized By: University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA)


Organized as a response to the Museum’s recent acquisition of Titus Kaphar’s Flay (James Madison), this upcoming reinstallation of one of our most prominent gallery spaces forces us to grapple with our collection of European and American art, 1650-1850.

In recent times, growing public awareness of the continued reverberations of the legacy of slavery and colonization has challenged museums to examine the uncomfortable histories contained in our collections, and challenged the public to probe the choices we make about those stories. Choices about which artists you see in our galleries, choices about what relevant facts we share about the works, and choices about what - out of an infinite number of options - we don’t say about them.

Pieces in this exhibition were made at a time when the world came to be shaped by the ideologies of colonial expansion and Western domination. And yet, that history and the stories of those marginalized do not readily appear in the still lives and portraits on display here. By grappling with what is visible and what remains hidden, we are forced to examine whose stories and histories are prioritized and why.  

In this online exhibition, you can explore our efforts to deeply question the Museum’s collection and our own past complicity in favoring colonial voices. In the Museum gallery, which will open in early 2021, you’ll be able to experience the changes we’re making to the physical space to highlight a more honest version of European and American history. 

By challenging our own practice, and continuing to add to what we know and what we write about the works we display, UMMA tells a more complex and more complete story of this nation - one that unsettles, and fails to settle for, simple narratives. 

“Invisible things are not necessarily ‘not there’.... Certain absences are so stressed, so ornate, so planned, they call attention to themselves; arrest us with intentionality and purpose, like neighborhoods that are defined by the population held away from them.” 

— Toni Morrison

Lead support for Unsettling Histories: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism is provided by the University of Michigan Office of the Provost, the U-M Arts Initiative, and the Susan and Richard Gutow Endowed Fund.
 





set

We set up an offshore company in a tax haven (Classic)

The Pandora Papers released this week reveal how many world leaders allegedly hold wealth through the use of shell companies. We listen back to when we set up our very own Planet Money shell companies.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy




set

Climate Mindset

In the past few months, human beings have come together to fight a global threat. This hour, TED speakers explore how our response can be the catalyst to fight another global crisis: climate change. Guests include political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac, diplomat Christiana Figueres, climate justice activist Xiye Bastida, and writer, illustrator, and artist Oliver Jeffers.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy




set

Listen Again: Climate Mindset

Original broadcast date: May 22, 2020. In the past few months, human beings have come together to fight a global threat. This hour, TED speakers explore how our response can be the catalyst to fight another global crisis: climate change. Guests include political strategist Tom Rivett-Carnac, diplomat Christiana Figueres, climate justice activist Xiye Bastida, and writer, illustrator, and artist Oliver Jeffers.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy




set

UCLA is set to introduce ChatGPT Enterprise on campus – a first for California higher ed

The agreement further positions UCLA at the forefront of artificial intelligence advancements in support of its academic, administrative and research communities.




set

CyberMetrics Announces New Leadership of the Asset Management Division

Though FaciliWorks CMMS is already used by hundreds of Mexican companies, there is still an enormous number of potential clients who are in need of a system like FaciliWorks.




set

Revolutionizing Quality Control: How AI Vision Is Setting New Industry Standards

In a world where AI vision technology is setting new quality control standards across industries, machines can now detect even the smallest defects in car parts and ensure that every packaged product meets health standards.