BlackRock pauses corporate meetings in wake of new ESG rules

(Reuters) – BlackRock has temporarily paused meetings with some portfolio companies while studying the impact of new reporting rules from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to people familiar with the matter. The top U.S. asset manager is among those affected by a recent SEC interpretation requiring fund firms to file more extensive ownership…

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Analysis-Trump’s SEC leader shifts power from investors to boardrooms

By Ross Kerber (Reuters) – New policies from the top U.S. securities regulator hand corporate boards more power over investors in ways that could curtail investor-initiated reform efforts on everything from climate policy to director contests, experts say. Since last month when U.S. President Donald Trump named Mark Uyeda acting chair of the Securities and…

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US judge blocks Trump from removing Democrat from government workplace board

(Reuters) – A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a Democrat who served as the chair of a U.S. agency that hears appeals by federal government employees when they are fired or disciplined to be temporarily reinstated after Republican U.S. President Donald Trump fired her. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras in Washington issued a temporary restraining…

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Microsoft to invest $700 million to boost Poland’s cybersecurity

WARSAW (Reuters) -Microsoft plans to invest an additional 700 million dollars in Poland to improve Polish cybersecurity in cooperation with the country’s armed forces, the company’s president said on Monday without elaborating. In a joint press conference with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Microsoft President Smith said the investment would be for a second phase…

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Judge calls rare hearing on a holiday in case against Musk’s DOGE

By Tom Hals WILMINGTON, Delaware (Reuters) – A U.S. judge has scheduled a rare holiday court hearing on Monday, in a case brought by Democratic state attorneys general seeking to protect major federal agencies from Elon Musk’s government cost-cutting team known as DOGE. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., on Sunday called the…

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Exclusive-Taiwan considering multi-billion dollar arms purchase from US, sources say

By Michael Martina, Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard WASHINGTON/TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, sources briefed on the matter said, hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as China continues to apply military pressure on the island. Three sources familiar with the situation,…

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Meta plans investments into AI-driven humanoid robots, memo shows

By Katie Paul and Harshita Mary Varghese (Reuters) -Meta Platforms is establishing a new division within its Reality Labs unit to develop AI-powered humanoid robots that can assist with physical tasks, according to an internal company memo viewed by Reuters on Friday. Facebook parent Meta is entering the competitive field of humanoid robotics, joining rivals…

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