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A survey of central banks by Central Banking Publications has found that concerns about geopolitical tensions have surged this year and ‌are now viewed as the top global risk. The great majority of responses to the survey were received before the February 28 strikes on Iran; January had witnessed the row between the U.S. and Denmark over Greenland. Almost 70% ⁠of central banks said geopolitics was their top risk - a sharp increase from 35% of banks that cited geopolitics as the leading concern in 2024. The survey also suggested trust in the dollar is being tested. "Over the next five years, global FX reserves managers will rigorously assess whether the U.S. dollar’s role as the dominant global ​reserve currency continues, amid rising global fragmentation," said one Asia-Pacific central banker.

 

Reuters

AI company Anthropic has built a new model that it claims is too powerful to be released to the public. Anthropic will instead make the Claude Mythos Preview available to a select 40 or so technology companies, including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, which will use it to find and patch security vulnerabilities in critical software programs. Anthropic - which has recently been in dispute with the Pentagon over the use of its technology - said it had no plans to roll out its new technology more widely. The company said it was announcing the new model’s capabilities in the particular area of identifying security vulnerabilities in software in a bid to highlight what it believes will be a new, scarier era of AI threats, the New York Times reports. Anthropic's Logan Graham described the new model as “the starting point for what we think will be an industry change point, or reckoning, with what needs to happen now.”

 

Fast Company

New York Times

The Globe and Mail

Financial Times

Jones Day has confirmed a cyber attack linked to the Silent Ransom Group which accessed files related to 10 clients. The firm described the incident as a "phishing incident" where an "unauthorized third party accessed a limited number of dated files." All affected clients have been informed, but the firm has not disclosed their identities. Hacker group Silent specifically targets American law firms, stealing data and extorting them, according to a 2025 FBI alert. The hackers take advantage of the “the highly sensitive nature of legal industry data,” according to the FBI.

 

Bloomberg

Amazon has been ordered by the National Labor Relations Board to negotiate with a union representing around 5,000 workers at its Staten Island warehouse. The ruling requires Amazon to recognise and bargain with the Amazon Labor Union, which formed in 2022 and is now aligned with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The NLRB found Amazon had engaged in unfair labour practices by refusing to negotiate. Amazon disputes the decision, claiming the union election was improperly influenced and signalling it will appeal, potentially delaying compliance.

 

Reuters

Ottawa Auditor General Nathalie Gougeon's latest report on the city's fraud and waste hotline identifies 57 substantiated cases of employee misconduct last year. Reported issues included sleeping on the job, taking city vehicles for personal use, and excessive overtime. One employee improperly included a relative in a hiring pool, violating city policy. Five employees were terminated, while others faced suspensions or letters of reprimand. City manager Wendy Stephanson said the cases represent a small sliver of the workforce. "It's not widespread. I want to be clear about that," she said. "These are very few and far between. I think what this tells us is that fraud and waste reporting works."

 

CBC

The conflict with Iran has severely impacted the Israeli tech sector, with over 25% of employees absent due to reserve duty, school closures, and security concerns. A survey by the Israel Innovation Authority found that 50% of tech firms are struggling to meet development goals and product launch deadlines. “At present, the sector is facing a range of challenges related to human capital, supply chains, product development, and access to capital,” said Israel Innovation Authority CEO Dror Bin. “Experience from recent years shows that the sector has proven its ability to recover quickly.” Karin Mayer Rubinstein, CEO of Israel Advanced Technology Industries (IATI), an umbrella organisation of high-tech firms operating in Israel, observed: “The main challenge now is the workforce shortage, where damage is caused for production and in the supply chain of companies that are manufacturing as well and have plants.”

 

The Times of Israel

A judge has blocked efforts by the Department of Justice to investigate the Federal Reserve, delivering a victory for Fed chairman Jerome Powell, who had described the investigation as a pretext to try to pressure the central bank to lower interest rates. In his ruling, Judge James Boasberg agreed, saying prosecutor Jeanine Pirro had presented "no evidence" to justify her demands for information from the Fed. Pirro said she would appeal against the decision, arguing that it was "wrong on its face" and had "neutered" her ability to investigate crime.

 

The Hill

Politico

BBC News

U.S. agriculture equipment maker Deere & Company has reached a settlement agreement to resolve the multidistrict "right to repair" litigation pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The case is part of broader scrutiny in the U.S. over such practices; regulators and plaintiffs argue that some ​manufacturers limit competition by controlling access to repair tools and ⁠software. The settlement fund covers eligible plaintiffs who paid Deere’s authorized ​dealers for repairs to large agricultural equipment from January 2018. "This ‌settlement ⁠addresses the issues raised in the 2022 complaint and brings this case to an end with no finding of wrongdoing," Deere said in a statement.

 

U.S. News

The Globe and Mail

Germany's government is under pressure to bolster laws against digital violence after actor Collien Fernandes accused her ex-husband, Christian Ulmen, of creating AI-generated pornographic deepfakes of her. Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig has announced plans for a bill to criminalize the production of such content, with penalties of up to two years in prison. Hubig emphasized the need for accountability from online platforms, saying: "Digital violence must not be a business model." Fernandes is pursuing legal action in Spain, citing stronger protections for women's rights in that country when compared to Germany.

 

U.S. News

U.S. services activity contracted in March for the first time in three years, as new business weakened amid the economic fallout from the Iran conflict, according to S&P Global data. The services PMI fell to 49.8, signalling a downturn, while input costs rose to a three-month high, pushing up prices for customers. Consumer-facing sectors were particularly hard hit, recording one of the steepest declines outside the pandemic period. Firms also turned more pessimistic about the outlook, reflecting growing uncertainty over demand and economic conditions.

 

Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has decided to phase out agency-led security inspections at operating nuclear reactors, a move that has been criticized by safety advocates. Edward Lyman, a nuclear physicist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, expressed his concern, saying that the change represents a failure in the government's duty to protect Americans from potential attacks on nuclear plants. The NRC's "force-on-force" inspection program, which has been in place since 1991, will be replaced with a less rigorous approach where plant managers will stage exercises observed by the NRC. Lyman described this shift as a "dog-and-pony show," raising doubts about compliance with congressional mandates aimed at mitigating conflicts of interest. The NRC maintains that the update reflects the strong safety measures already in place at U.S. nuclear facilities.

 

U.S. News

The conflict in Iran has disrupted nearly 8,000 clinical trial sites, according to a report from Phesi. The analysis covered over 65,000 global trials, revealing that 6.7% of active studies, or 4,361 trials, have been disrupted by the conflict in the affected region, impacting a total of 7,958 trial sites. Most disruptions occurred in Turkey, Israel, and Egypt, with oncology trials being significantly impacted. Phesi founder Gen Li emphasized the importance of patient safety amid these challenges, saying: "Patient safety and the safety of investigators and clinical staff must remain the primary consideration."

 

Fierce Biotech

IRS chief Frank Bisignano is embroiled in a long-running legal dispute with entrepreneur Eric Inselberg over the alleged possession of Muhammad Ali’s 1977 boxing shorts, which Inselberg claims were used as collateral for a $500,000 loan and never returned. Mr. Bisignano denies ever receiving the trunks, with the case hinging on conflicting accounts, disputed evidence, and witness testimony ahead of a trial now delayed until September.

 

Wall Street Journal