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European Edition
17th July 2025
 
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THE HOT STORY

Booking.com to cut hundreds of jobs in Amsterdam

Booking.com is set to lay off “more than 200 and fewer than 1,000” employees in Amsterdam as part of a reorganisation aimed at improving efficiency. A spokesperson confirmed that the company, which employs 13,000 people globally, is in the process of determining the exact number of layoffs. The dismissals are not due to financial struggles: the company reported a 37% increase in net profit to $5.9bn last year. According to Booking.com, the layoffs are part of an effort to operate more efficiently. “We don't want to have so many layers in the organisation anymore,” a company spokesperson told NU.nl. “Our people are managing the work of other managers. It has become too bureaucratic.”
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LEGAL

UK workers may not get ‘day one' protection against unfair dismissal

Proposals to provide new UK workers with "day one" protection against unfair dismissal have faced a significant setback in the House of Lords, where a Conservative-led measure was approved to reduce the qualifying period from two years to six months. The defeat represents a blow to Labour: the proposals were part of their manifesto commitment. The bill, which also aimed to introduce other rights such as sick pay and flexible working requests, will now return to the Commons for further consideration. Critics, including Lord Sharpe of Epsom, argued that the changes could harm employment prospects for vulnerable groups, particularly young workers.
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WORKFORCE

Greek port workers block arms shipment to Israel

Workers at Greece's Piraeus Port have halted a shipment of military-grade steel destined for Israel as they protest against the ongoing violence in Gaza. Markos Bekris, president of the ENEDEP union, said: "We will not let the port become an outpost of the US, NATO or the EU," as he highlighted a commitment to preventing the transport of what the union deems deadly cargo. Since October 2023, Israel's offensive has resulted in over 58,000 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children, alongside widespread destruction and humanitarian crises. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials for war crimes, and Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice.
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RISK

Italy may release up 10,000 people from prison

Italy's Justice Ministry has announced plans to release approximately 10,000 inmates, representing about 15% of the prison population, to alleviate severe overcrowding. The ministry said that 10,105 prisoners are "potentially eligible" for alternatives such as house arrest or probation, provided they meet specific criteria, including having less than two years left on their sentences and no serious disciplinary offences in the past year. Excluded from this initiative are those convicted of serious crimes including terrorism and organised crime. Italy faces one of the highest prison overcrowding rates in Europe, with an occupancy level of around 122%. The ministry has established a taskforce to manage the release process, which will report on its progress by September.
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ECONOMY

Global economy may do better in second half of year, OPEC says

In a monthly report published on Tuesday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said the world economy may perform better than expected in the second half of the year despite trade conflicts. "India, China, and Brazil are outperforming expectations so far, while the United States and the Eurozone are experiencing a continued rebound from last year," OPEC said in the report. "With this, the second-half 2025 economic growth may turn out better than currently expected."

Allianz boss warns Germany risks becoming ‘sick man of Europe’

Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte has warned that Germany risks becoming the “sick man of Europe” and predicted its social security system could collapse within a decade unless the government cuts spending.
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TAX

Romania's government survives tax vote

Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan's coalition government has successfully navigated a no confidence vote, enabling the implementation of controversial tax hikes aimed at reducing the EU's largest budget deficit. The government has expedited increases in value-added tax, excise duties, and other levies to avoid a ratings downgrade and regain access to EU funds. Despite the coalition's approval, the Social Democrats, the largest party in the coalition, expressed criticism, with leader Sorin Grindeanu observing: "For solid, continued political support we must quickly correct some of the absurd things from this first package of measures." Bolojan aims to lower the deficit to around 8% of economic output by year-end, down from 9.3% last year. The opposition has indicated plans to challenge the tax measures in the constitutional court.
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TECHNOLOGY

Meta to invest hundreds of billions in AI push

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced that the Facebook parent company will invest hundreds of billions of dollars to construct several large AI data centres aimed at advancing superintelligence, with the first centre, Prometheus, expected to be operational by 2026. His ambitious plan includes the establishment of multiple "titan clusters," one of which will cover a significant area comparable to Manhattan, as Meta seeks to enhance its competitive edge in the AI sector amid a talent acquisition drive for top engineers.
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INTERNATIONAL

Trump officials say immigration raids will intensify

The Los Angeles Times reports that Trump Administration immigration sweeps show no signs of slowing despite lawsuits, a court order and growing signs the aggressive actions are not popular with the public. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has announced plans to escalate enforcement, citing a $150bn funding boost from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”; however, a recent Gallup poll indicates declining support for strict immigration measures, with only 30% of Americans favoring reduced immigration. Legal challenges are mounting, including a ruling by US District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong that temporarily blocks racial profiling in arrests. The White House has defended its actions, stating: “No federal judge has the authority to dictate immigration policy - that authority rests with Congress and the President.” 

More than half of UAE employees check work emails during leave

According to a survey by Robert Walters, over 54% of professionals in the UAE and Middle East check work emails during annual leave, and only 22% feel refreshed upon returning to the workplace. Jason Grundy, managing director of Robert Walters Middle East, said: “Annual leave should provide professionals respite and a chance to reset – it shouldn't cause them to become more stressed than before they went away.” The study highlights that 65% of employees experience anxiety when returning to work, with many resorting to "firefighting tactics" to manage their workload. The phenomenon of "fear of falling behind" (FOFB) is prevalent:  63% of professionals say they find it easier to relax on leave when their teams are also off.

Younger workers vanish from Korea's top firms

Analysis by CEO Score reveals a significant decline in the share of employees in their 20s at Korea's largest companies, dropping from 24.8% in 2022 to 21% in 2024. The report, which examined sustainability disclosures from 67 of the top 100 firms, indicates that over half of these companies reduced their younger workforce. Samsung Display experienced the steepest decline, with a 15.4 percentage point drop. In contrast, Hanwha Aerospace saw an increase in its share of young workers, attributed to a boom in the defence sector. Cho Won-man, CEO of CEO Score, said: “With growing economic uncertainties, companies appear to be scaling back or scrapping open recruitment for new graduates.”
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OTHER

Research reveals PFAS can be expelled by gut microbes

Research from the University of Cambridge in the UK has revealed that certain gut microbes can absorb and help eliminate toxic "forever chemicals" known as PFAS from the body, potentially offering a more effective solution than current methods like bloodletting or side-effect-inducing drugs. The study's authors are now working on developing probiotic supplements to enhance these beneficial microbes in humans, although they caution that this approach should not detract from addressing the broader PFAS contamination issue.
 
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