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Canada will restart trade discussions with the US when conditions align. Prime Minister Mark Carney said there is currently no pressing issue to raise with President Trump.
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Scott Bessent dismisses US recession fears after shutdown. The US Treasury Secretary said the 43-day government closure caused an $11 billion loss but posed no broad economic risk, citing easing inflation, lower energy prices and planned tax cuts as supports for growth heading into 2026.
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Government borrowing exceeds forecasts by £9.9 billion this fiscal year. Public sector borrowing reached £17.4 billion in October, marking the third-highest October on record. The cumulative borrowing since April is £116.8 billion, intensifying economic pressures as the Budget approaches.
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The EU’s flagship AI regulation faces a significant postponement. Brussels is expected to delay enforcement of high-risk AI system rules until 2027 following sustained pressure from major technology providers. The decision gives companies longer to adapt but raises concerns about governance complacency and shifting legal accountability.
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Klarna claims its AI now matches workload of 853 staff. The payments company says its generative-AI customer-service assistant has handled millions of queries with human-level satisfaction, underscoring automation’s accelerating impact on service jobs as financial-technology leaders weigh the gains — and risks — of digital labour.
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Addiction is already in the workplace, often hiding in plain sight. As Professor Marcantonio Spada of Onebright writes, silence and stigma prevent many from seeking help until crisis strikes. Creating open, supportive cultures where employees can talk about addiction is both compassionate and critical for business health.
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Budget talk is already weighing on Britain’s Christmas shoppers. New BRC and GfK data shows consumer sentiment sliding again in November, just as inflation eases and retail sales stumble. With Rachel Reeves facing a sizeable fiscal gap, retailers are braced for a Budget that could define demand well into 2026.
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Two in five invoices reach finance teams with errors. New data from Basware shows automation could reclaim hundreds of hours and bring oversight to $549bn in unmanaged spend.
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UK government unveils AI investment initiative to generate new jobs.
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A third of UK employees feel uninspired at work. O.C. Tanner’s latest Global Culture Report finds a significant “inspiration gap” between employees’ ambitions and workplace reality, linking it to falling engagement, slower innovation, and weaker productivity across British organisations.
