The European Union is now openly discussing restricting VPN access as part of its expanding online age-verification system, which demonstrates precisely where the entire digital agenda has been heading from the beginning. They always introduce these systems under emotionally untouchable justifications such as child safety or combating terrorism, but once the infrastructure is in place, the scope inevitably expands. According to a new European Parliament briefing, officials are concerned that users are bypassing online age-verification requirements via VPNs, and the report notes a surge in VPN usage in countries implementing stricter digital controls. The proposal being discussed is to potentially…
Author: Staff Writer
Mother’s Day is Sunday, and it’s not too late to get that perfect gift for Mom–time for herself. We conducted a survey through the Rutgers Center for Women in Business and asked 288 mothers to choose their ideal Mother’s Day gift from the following popular options: time for yourself, a family activity, or a physical gift, and then compared their responses to the 292 fathers we asked about Father’s Day. Overall, most parents want to celebrate their day by spending time with their families, with 69% of mothers and fathers choosing a shared family activity as their ideal gift. While…
For years, Canadians were told their economy was “strong,” their banking system was “safe,” and their housing market was “resilient.” Now reality is finally colliding with the propaganda as ordinary Canadians increasingly admit they feel trapped financially despite endless government claims that conditions are improving. The numbers are becoming impossible to ignore. Recent polling shows that 71% of Canadians expect the cost of living to worsen in 2026, while 59% believe the broader economy itself will deteriorate further over the next year. Even more alarming, nearly 87% say they now feel financially trapped because wages are no longer keeping pace…
American workers are stressed. Like, really stressed. In Gallup’s annual workplace deep dive, half of U.S. employees reported significant daily stress—in fact, the highest rate in the world out of all nine regions Gallup tracks for the report. Nerves are in tatters: Over half (52%) have experienced anxiety or panic-like symptoms at work in the last month, while nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans have used alcohol, cannabis, or unprescribed drugs to cope with work stress in the past year. Some 52% have done so during the workday itself. And while work, in its very essence, is stressful, 2026 is serving…
While much of the Western world is watching living standards decline under inflation, debt, taxation, and economic stagnation, India is moving through a completely different phase of the global cycle. Millions of Indians are experiencing rising opportunity, expanding infrastructure, growing wages, and an emerging middle class in real time as capital increasingly flows toward the country. India’s economy is growing at roughly 6.5–7% annually, making it the fastest-growing major economy in the world. Reuters recently reported that India’s GDP expanded 7.4% year-over-year in one recent quarter alone, driven heavily by manufacturing and construction growth. The country is expected to become…
If the spring season has brought an urge to scrub your living space from top to bottom, why not clear out the digital detritus cluttering your electronic devices and online accounts at the same time? Carrying out the digital equivalent of spring-cleaning a home isn’t just an opportunity to tidy up our online lives. Eliminating dust bunnies like dormant accounts and forgotten files can help protect personal data, according to cybersecurity experts. “Clutter is fuel for scammers. Old accounts, exposed data, and forgotten apps give them more ways in,” Michael Sherwood, a product vice president at cybersecurity firm Malwarebytes, said. “Cleaning…
Anyone spending time inside a company right now can feel it. There is a growing assumption shaping decisions at the highest levels. AI will drive efficiency and therefore companies are expected to reduce headcount. It sounds logical. It sounds disciplined. But it is also incomplete. I have been in boardrooms where AI is discussed as both an opportunity and a justification. Leaders talk about transformation, and in the same breath talk about reducing headcount. The connection feels automatic, as if one must follow the other. Here’s what’s missing from the conversation: What is the work we actually want done, and…
Artificial intelligence is being touted as the most transformative technology of the 21st century, changing everything from how people work to how they live. But forget all that—what sports fans want to know is, can it predict who is going to win the World Cup? According to a new Bank of America Global Research study, “The Beautiful Game: BofA’s World Cup 2026 Guide,” that was shared with Fast Company, approximately 40% of the FIFA fans surveyed are betting on France’s Les Bleus (named after the team’s traditional blue jerseys). However, AI, specifically Microsoft’s Copilot, thinks Spain’s La Roja, or “The…
GameStop announced on Sunday that it has made an unsolicited offer to acquire eBay for nearly $56 billion. One day later, CNBC spoke to GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen about the news, in an interview media outlets have called “bizarre,” “awkward,” “evasive” and “dizzying.” In what felt more like an SNL sketch than a CNBC interview, the billionaire CEO of GameStop provided little context or further explanation as to how the company would afford and operate eBay. Currently, eBay has a market capitalization of $46 billion, compared with GameStop’s $11 billion. When asked how the math for the deal would actually…
As tech companies continue slashing jobs with impunity, workers are right to be fearful—and fed up. But it appears that overall layoffs may actually be slowing down, according to the latest report from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. In April, employers across the country announced 83,387 job cuts, an uptick of 38% from the 60,620 cuts during the month prior. That figure is, however, lower than it was in April 2025, when layoffs had reached 105,441. Overall layoffs for 2026 have also significantly dropped in comparison to last year: As of April, employers have disclosed plans for over 300,000…