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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration blocked imports of spices this week from an Indonesian company amid widespread worries of radioactive contamination. The agency said it found cesium 137 in spicesspecifically clovesfrom Indonesian company PT Natural Java Spice that were shipped to California. The discovery marks the second food product imported from Indonesia found to have radioactive contamination, as recalls of potentially tainted imported shrimp expanded. “Products from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati and from PT Natural Java Spice will not be permitted to enter the U.S. market until these firms provide the FDA with information to adequately demonstrate that they have resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violations,” the FDA said in a statement issued Thursday. What is cesium 137? Cesium 137 is a radioactive isotope that is formed during nuclear fission. Its used in industry and chemotherapy, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is also present in the environment, largely due to nuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents, including the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and 2011s Fukushima nuclear accident. That environmental presence means trace amounts can be found in food. Foods contaminated with cesium 137 may pose a potential health concern, the FDA said, especially if people are exposed repeatedly to the isotope. The FDA is investigating the source of the contamination, it said. The Associated Press reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency, a nuclear watchdog, believes that the contamination may have come from an industrial site located near a shrimp processing plant in Indonesia. What products are affected by the FDA’s recall? Since August, the FDA has issued multiple recalls of shrimp, with more products affected this week. The list of recalled shrimp is as follows: Aug. 21, 2025: Southwind Foods, LLC Recall Aug. 22, 2025: Beaver Street Fisheries, LLC Recall Aug. 27, 2025: AquaStar (USA) Corp Recall Kroger Brand Aug. 28, 2025: AquaStar (USA) Corp Recall Aqua Star Brand Aug. 29, 2025: Southwind Foods, LLC Recall Expansion of original recall Sept. 19, 2025: AquaStar (USA) Corp Recall Expansion of original recall Sept. 23, 2025: Southwind Foods, LLC Recall Expansion of original recall Sept. 23, 2025: Lawrence Wholesale, LLC Recall Kroger Brand The FDA said that none of the contaminated spices entered the U.S. market, and that is has received no reports of illness stemming from spice imports. The agency said it is continuing to investigate.
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U.S. officials rejected a push to establish a global AI governance framework at this weeks United Nations General Assembly, despite the plan enjoying broad support from many world nations, including China. At a Security Council debate on Wednesday, Michael Kratsios, the director of the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy, said that Washington totally rejected all efforts by international organizations to assert centralized control and global governance of AI. The meeting marked the first time that all 193 UN member states have been able to weigh in on AI governance. It comes after an Aug. 2025 UN resolutionwhich members unanimously endorsedurging the UN to lay the groundwork for global AI governance and calling on governments to work together to protect human rights in the wake of widespread AI use. Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that AI presented a real and present risk to humanity. AI is no longer a distant horizonit is here, transforming daily life, the information space, and the global economy at breathtaking speed, Guterres said. The ability to fabricate and manipulate audio and video threatens information integrity, fuels polarisation and can trigger diplomatic crises humanitys fate cannot be left to an algorithm.” U.S. AI stance puts emphasis on diffusion At the meeting, Kratsios said that Washington believed that the responsible diffusion of AI will help pave the way to a flourishing future, one of increased productivity, empowered individuals, and revolutions in scientific advancement. “The path to this world is found not in bureaucratic management, but in the freedom and duty of citizens, the prudence and cooperation of statesmen, and the independence and sovereignty of nations,” he added. The remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said in his speech to the General Assembly that the country is working on developing its own safety measures, and that the White House is pioneering an AI verification system that everyone can trust, specifically to enforce the Biological Weapons Convention. Hopefully, the UN can play a constructive role, and it will also be one of the early projects under AI, Trump said. The U.S. stance is a notable break from other world powers, and particularly China. Also on Wednesday, Chinas Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ma Zhaoxu, expressed support for the UNs proposed governance framework. It is vital to jointly foster an open, inclusive, fair and nondiscriminatory environment for technological development and firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism,” Ma said.
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Why do so many global projects falter? Often, it isnt because executives misread market data or underestimate competitors; its because they misread each other. Crosscultural communication is less about translation and more about decoding invisible frameworksvalues, norms, and assumptionsthat shape how people work. Ignoring those frameworks turns diversity into a liability. Leaders who master cultural intelligence transform it into a strategic advantage. The hidden costs of miscommunication Consider a seemingly routine performance review. Erin Meyer recounts how a French manager, working for an American boss in London, left her evaluation buoyed by the comment, We look forward to seeing more. In U.S. workplaces this phrase often masks concern; the boss thought her work was subpar. Such cushioning of criticism is common in lowcontext cultures and can leave colleagues from direct cultures confused and distrustful. These misunderstandings scale up quickly. In Edward T. Halls framework, “lowcontext” cultures such as the U.S. or Germany value explicit communication and detailed documentation, whereas “highcontext” cultures (common in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America) rely heavily on tone, body language, and shared history. People from highcontext cultures may leave things unsaid or assume that mentioning competing obligations signals that a deadline is flexible; lowcontext colleagues may expect precise commitments and clear escalation paths. When these styles collide, delays and mistrust proliferate. Some failures grab headlines. Dolce & Gabbanas 2018 advert of a Chinese woman clumsily eating Italian food with chopsticks was widely seen as mocking Chinese etiquette, prompting boycotts and celebrity disavowals. Swatch faced similar outrage in August 2025 when a campaign image showed a model making a slantedeye gesture; netizens questioned the companys cultural awareness and demanded a proper apology. Although Swatch withdrew the adverts and apologized, critics dismissed the statement as generic and insufficient, and the backlash temporarily shaved 4% off the parent companys market value. These examples show that crosscultural miscommunication is not a minor glitch but a strategic threat. To avoid it, leaders must cultivate what psychologists call cultural intelligencethe capability to function effectively across cultures. It rests on three pillars: awareness, empathy, and adaptability. Pillar 1: Cultural awareness Awareness begins with acknowledging that your own cultural lens is not universal. Halls high and lowcontext distinction provides a starting point. In highcontext cultures, the exact wording matters less than how, when, and where something is said; body language, silence, and relational history convey meaning. In lowcontext cultures, words are taken at face value, and comprehensive information is expected. Failing to recognize these differences can cost money and reputation. Dolce & Gabbanas misread of Chinese etiquette was, at heart, a failure of awareness; the company did not understand how deeply food, tradition, and national dignity intertwine in Chinese culture. To build awareness, leaders should: Map the cultural context. Use frameworks like Hofstede or Hall to anticipate differences in hierarchy, collectivism, and time orientation. Treat these models as guides, not stereotypes. Invest in local expertise. Involve local employees or consultants in product development and marketing; they can detect cues that outsiders miss. Swatchs image might have been stopped by a culturally attuned reviewer. Learn the rituals. Simple gesturesexchanging business cards with both hands in China or leaving a little food on the plate to show you were well fedsignal respect and prevent embarrassment. Pillar 2: Empathy Awareness tells you what is different; empathy tells you why. Empathy is the ability to see the world through anothers lens and appreciate their motivations. It moves leaders from This is how we do things to How can we do things in a way that respects everyone? Consider Netflixs global expansion. The streaming giant didnt simply subtitle its U.S. shows; it invested in commissioning local content, hiring regional teams and altering user interfaces to suit different viewing habits. This hyperlocal approach recognized that a story that resonates in Los Angeles may not speak to audiences in So Paulo or Mumbai. By empathising with local tastes and values, Netflix built a loyal global audience. Empathy also plays out in daytoday leadership. Leaders who take time to ask team members about their communication preferences, family obligations, or religious holidays demonstrate respect. That respect fosters psychological safety, which research shows is essential for collaboration and innovation. Pillar 3: Adaptability Awareness and empathy are useless without the ability to adjust. Adaptability is the capacity to shift your leadership style, communication methods, and decisionmaking processes to fit the cultural contextwithout sacrificing core principles. One multinational tech company learned this when its American managers rapidfire style clashed with a Chinese teams preference for deliberation and consensus. By scheduling structured meetings and allowing the Shanghai team to formulate a unified position, he turned a strained collaboration into a highfunctioning partnership. The pattern holds broadly: highcontext cultures often value consensus and indirect feedback, while lowcontext cultures value directness and speed. Practical adaptability includes: Tailoring feedback. Direct cultures use upgraders such as totally or absolutely to emphasize criticism; indirect cultures employ downgraders like maybe or a bit to soften the blow. Clarify which phrases signal urgency and which indicate a suggestion. When giving feedback to someone from a direct culture, be explicit; when receiving feedback from someone using downgrades, listen for hidden messages. Rebalancing meeting dynamics. In lowcontext cultures, silence often indicates problems; in highcontext cultures, silence may denote respect. Leaders should learn to be comfortable with pauses and check for consensus without forcing immediate responses. Adjusting decision processes. In cultures with high power distance, decisions flow from senior leaders; in egalitarian cultures, consensus may be expected. Clarify who has authority and when input is required. The AI era: why human skills matter more Artificial intelligence can translate languages and analyze data, but its algorithms reflect the cultural biases of their training sets. Leaders will need cultural intelligence to catch and correct outputs that misinterpret expressions or promote messages inappropriate for local markets. The human skills of empathy, ethical judgment, and adaptive collaboration become critical controls, ensuring technology serves diverse teams rather than offends them. From principle to practice Building cultural intelligence is not a tickbox exercise; it requires ongoing reflection and learning. Here are some practical steps: Create culture user manuals. Ask team members to share their preferred communication styles, working hours, and feedback preferences. Document these and refer to them as you plan meetings or assign tasks. Encourage mutual mentorship. Pair senior leaders with junior colleagues from different cultures. Reverse mentoring helps senior executives recognize their blind spots and fosters empathy across generations and backgrounds. Normalize constructive conflict. Misunderstandings will happen. Encourage teams to treat them as learning opportunities rather than personal failures. Debrief after projects to discuss what communication strategies worked and what didnt. The bottom line Cultural intelligence is not a fad. Leaders who embed awareness, empathy, and adaptability into their leadership philosophy are building more than diverse teams; they are cultivating resilience, innovation, and trust. In an era of geopolitical tension and rapid technological change, these human skills will determine whose ideas cross borders and whose brands endure.
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