Workforce & HR Compliance: DC Water will pay about $217,000 to settle a U.S. age-discrimination claim after the EEOC said an older HR professional was replaced by a younger worker; the consent decree also requires stronger nondiscrimination policies and HR training. Public Sector HR & Systems: Birmingham City Council warned staff to expect “teething problems” as it schedules a second go-live for its troubled Oracle finance, procurement and HR systems on Aug. 18, with parts of the HR suite already switching over. DEI in Hiring: Cebu Pacific was recognized for gender equality and workplace inclusion under the GEARS framework, citing initiatives like leader and new-hire DEI training and expanded benefits for partners. Talent Pipeline: Bahrain’s National Bank of Bahrain kicked off its EVOLVE summer internship programme (fifth year), adding modules spanning AI, fintech, mental health and cybersecurity. Global Demographics: Philippines population officials said a declining fertility rate could be an “opportunity” to build a higher-quality workforce through better education, health and skills development. Education Continuity: The Philippines reported 6,102 public schools across 11 regions suspended face-to-face classes due to Typhoon Inday and shifted to flexible learning options. Workplace Risk & Safety: South Africa’s Ekurhuleni EMPD corruption case continues as suspended officials seek bail amid allegations tied to HR and disciplinary interference. Learning Tech: France-based Mexty launched Mexty V3, positioning it as a secure enterprise learning infrastructure for AI-era content creation, delivery and tracking.