Human Times

European Edition

12th February 2026

THE HOT STORY

Switzerland to vote on plan to cap population

Switzerland is to hold a referendum in June on whether to cap its population at 10m until 2050 by limiting immigration. The referendum has been triggered automatically because more than 100,000 citizens have signed a petition in support of a vote. Opponents of the move say it could threaten crucial agreements with the European Union and make it harder to attract foreign workers to fill labour shortages. The petition was promoted by the Swiss People’s Party, a right-wing party that holds roughly a third of seats in the Swiss Parliament.

Financial Times

Luxembourg Times

New York Times

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REGULATION

Rules in Europe need urgent simplification - Von der Leyen

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the European Union must simplify its rules for companies operating in the region to make the bloc more competitive against global rivals. "Let me take the US example . . . One financial system, one financial capital, and a handful of other financial centres. Here in Europe, we do not only have 27 different financial systems, each with its own supervisor . . . But also, more than 300 trading venues across our Union. That is fragmentation on steroids. We need one large, deep and liquid capital market. And this is the goal of our Savings and Investment Union."

Reuters

ECONOMY

EU leaders meet to tackle economic rivalry

European Union leaders are gathering in Belgium to discuss how they can compete economically with global rivals including China and the now less reliable US European Council President Antonio Costa is to host leaders at the 16th-century Alden Biesen castle in eastern Belgium. On Wednesday, some other EU leaders convened in Antwerp with company chiefs for an industry summit. "The good thing about European problems is that Europe could actually fix them itself if it wanted to. Because a lot is about flexibility, less bureaucracy, more flexible labour laws," Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch told Reuters.

Reuters

Reeves: EU ties the 'biggest prize' for Britain

UK finance minister Rachel Reeves has urged deeper UK integration with the European Union, calling trade with the bloc the "biggest prize" for Britain. Speaking at the London School of Economics, she highlighted that nearly half of the UK's trade is with the EU and commented: "I strongly believe that Britain's future is inextricably bound with that of Europe's."

BBC News

Daily Mail

The I

LEGAL

Tesla files complaint against union member for secret recording

Tesla has filed a criminal complaint against a member of Germany's IG Metall labour union for secretly recording a works council meeting, according to a memo to staff seen by Reuters. The external IG Metall member at the meeting on Tuesday had attended as a guest and then started recording with his computer, Andre Thierig, manager of Tesla's Gruenheide plant near Berlin, said in the memo. IG Metall has said that management favours more obedient labour representation.

Reuters

Lloyds wins tribunal after staff criticism of Israel

UK lender Lloyds Bank has won a tribunal case against two employees, Afra Sohail and Aunngbeen Khalid, who claimed discrimination after being sanctioned for anti-Israel posts on the bank's internal platform, Yammer. The tribunal ruled that while the bank's actions were justified in removing the posts due to their polarising nature, the disciplinary measures were "heavy handed." The judges noted that neither employee had a history of similar behaviour and suggested informal guidance would have sufficed. Khalid expressed disappointment but acknowledged the tribunal's recognition of the legal protection for anti-Zionist beliefs.

The Daily Telegraph

STRATEGY

ABN Amro pushes ahead with sweeping restructuring

Dutch lender ABN Amro is undergoing a significant restructuring under CEO Marguerite Bérard in a bid to to enhance profitability. The bank has already eliminated around 1,500 full-time positions, which is 30% of the planned 5,200 job cuts by 2028. Bérard noted that AI will take over some employee tasks, prompting a shift to in-house IT operations. Despite a 3% rise in operating expenses and a 6% drop in annual net earnings to just under €2.3bn, the bank plans to repurchase shares and pay dividends. Bérard described the economic climate as "volatile" but says she remains optimistic about the Dutch economy.

NL Times

TECHNOLOGY

Atlas stunts lift Hyundai shares

Hyundai Motor shares rose after its robotics unit released a video of the Atlas humanoid robot doing a cartwheel and backflip. The clip, posted by Boston Dynamics and the RAI Institute units, also includes earlier failed attempts to show real-world learning beyond simulation. KB Securities analysts said the footage “verified whether the robot could apply intelligence learned in simulation to physical space without additional manual corrections,” and indicated extreme-response capability and readiness for mass production. Hyundai has said Atlas will begin working in its manufacturing plants in 2028.

Bloomberg

LEADERSHIP

LVMH promotes Antoine Arnault to executive committee

LVMH has promoted Antoine Arnault, one of Bernard Arnault’s five children, to the luxury group’s executive committee as part of an ongoing leadership reshuffle at the family-controlled group. Antoine Arnault, 48, currently serves as director of image and environment and oversees group communications, making him one of LVMH’s most visible executives. The move comes as investors have increased scrutiny of LVMH’s governance and succession planning, given Bernard Arnault’s long tenure at the helm. Antoine becomes the second of Arnault’s children to join the group’s top decision-making body, following his sister Delphine Arnault, chief executive of Dior.

Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

Some job hunters are paying recruiters to find them jobs

A tough US labour market for white-collar workers is turning the traditional recruiting model upside down, and a new trend of “reverse recruiting” has emerged whereby job seekers pay recruiters to find them positions. Reverse-recruiting models vary - some charge a percentage of the first year’s salary upon placement and others charge monthly fees or set rates for sending applications. Some traditional recruiters question the ethics of charging job seekers and the success rate of mass-applying on behalf of candidates.

Wall Street Journal

Coupang faulted for data preservation failures in Korean breach probe

South Korea’s science ministry has said Coupang failed to comply with government orders to preserve data during an investigation into a breach affecting nearly 34m shoppers, limiting authorities’ ability to fully assess the incident. The ministry said Coupang did not adjust its automatic data-retention policies as instructed, leading to the deletion of access logs linked to the probe. According to officials, a former staff engineer improperly accessed and exposed 25.6 terabytes of personal data, including names, phone numbers, addresses, and building access codes, over several months. Coupang said it has cooperated with investigators and that there is no evidence of secondary harm, but the case has escalated into a political dispute between Seoul and Washington, with US officials criticising Korea’s regulatory response. Multiple Korean agencies are continuing investigations, while Coupang has pushed back against what it describes as an unfair crackdown.

Korea JoongAng Daily

Bloomberg

The Korea Times

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