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European Edition
11th March 2026
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THE HOT STORY

Study finds pattern of 'AI brain fry'

A study published in Harvard Business Review suggests that instead of making work easier, AI may be giving some workers what researchers are calling "brain fry." As businesses use more multi-agent systems, employees are finding themselves toggling between more tools, and contrary to the promise of having more time to focus on meaningful work, juggling and multitasking could be set to become the definitive features of working with AI. AI brain fry, defined as "mental fatigue that results from excessive use of, interaction with, and/or oversight of AI tools beyond one's cognitive capacity," was most commonly reported by employees in marketing, HR, operations, engineering, finance and IT in the study.
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STRATEGY

Volkswagen to cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030

Volkswagen plans to cut 50,000 jobs in Germany by 2030 amid sliding profits and tough global competition. "In total, around 50,000 jobs are due to be cut by 2030 across the Volkswagen Group in Germany," Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said in a letter to shareholders in the firm's annual report. The carmaker had already struck a deal with unions at the end of 2024 to cut 35,000 jobs by 2030. Volkswagen was “operating in a fundamentally different environment,” which required “continuing our disciplined work on saving costs,” Blume said.
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WORKFORCE

Luxembourg job candidates wants plenty of days off

Job candidates in Luxembourg are increasingly prioritising flexible working hours and additional time off over traditional perks such as meal vouchers and company cars. “We see more and more non-financial perks. It could be extra vacation days and that is clearly a big advantage. More and more people want that,” said Rémi Fouilloy, regional managing director at Morgan Philips recruitment agency. “Many companies know they have to attract people from a bank, so they offer 30 days per year even if they are not in the banking agreement, and people are seriously considering these offers, whereas if they lose around eight days per year, it's a big change.”
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TECHNOLOGY

UK executives are outsourcing their thinking to AI, study suggests

Business executives in the UK are increasingly relying on AI for decision-making, according to a study by 3Gem. The survey of 200 leaders revealed that 62% use AI for "most decisions", with many second-guessing their own ideas when they conflicted with AI's recommendations. Notably, 46% trust AI advice more than that of colleagues.
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LEGAL

EU Court of Justice rules on company car travel

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that travel time between a company's headquarters and a work site is considered official working hours. The decision arose from a case in Valencia involving a public company and its 15 specialised brigades. The ruling states that both outbound and return journeys must be compensated as they are essential for the job and conducted under employer supervision.
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RISK

Dutch ministry pulled report on Amazon cloud service after criticism

The Ministry of Justice and Security in the Netherlands pulled a report assessing the risks of Amazon's European Sovereign Cloud service after critics said it underestimated the service's dangers. The European Sovereign Cloud is a service offered by Amazon Web Services in response to Europe's desire for greater digital independence from the United States. The service is specifically delivered in data centres on European soil with European employees. A legal analysis had been commissioned from law firm Greenberg Traurig, which suggested US access to data is possible but unlikely. A week later, the Ministry republished the research with a memo stressing that it was “not a policy recommendation or compliance assessment,” and “no risk assessment” is made based on the report. 
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TAX

Lego boss slams Denmark's wealth tax plan

Lego CEO Niels Christiansen has condemned Denmark's proposed 0.5% wealth tax on assets worth more than 25m kroner (about $3.9m). He warned it could lead to job losses and capital flight from companies. Christiansen stated: "There's a high risk it would impact society pretty hard in the long run." Other business leaders, including Robert Uggla of Maersk, echoed concerns, arguing that such policies could harm access to capital for Danish firms.
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INTERNATIONAL

Wall Street banks offer UAE staff option to relocate temporarily

Wall Street banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup are allowing employees in the UAE to work remotely due to the ongoing conflict in the region. “This is an unsettling time for people across the Middle East, and we continue take measures to support our colleagues and our clients,” a spokesperson for Citigroup said. “We are permitting some Middle East-based colleagues to work remotely from other geographies on a temporary basis while also maintaining enough on-the-ground support to service our clients.” But while some firms have offered temporary relocations, one bank said the uptake has been very limited, and employees may not receive compensation for moving. 

Netherlands moves Iran embassy staff to Azerbaijan

The ⁠Netherlands is to temporarily ​move its embassy ‌staff in ‌Iran ⁠to ⁠Azerbaijan, citing ​safety concerns amid ⁠the U.S.-Israeli ⁠war ⁠on Iran. "Due ​to increasing risks to ​the ⁠safety of our staff, ⁠it has been decided to temporarily ⁠relocate the activities of the Dutch embassy in Iran to Baku, Azerbaijan," Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen ​wrote on X.

Samsung union faces backlash over strike pressure

Samsung Electronics' labour union is facing criticism for allegedly pressuring members to support a strike. The joint union headquarters plans to hold a vote from Monday to March 18. If a majority favours the strike, a rally will occur on April 23, followed by a general strike from May 21 to June 7. Choi Seung-ho, head of the Samsung Group Supercorporate Labour Union's Samsung Electronics branch, said: “The leadership will hold rallies near our Pyeongtaek office during the strike and recruit staff to watch over offices at company sites . . . We will keep a list of names of employees who work during the strike and refer to it when dealing with transfers or layoffs.” Some employees criticised Choi's remarks. “If I join the strike, the company could penalise me,” said one.
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OTHER

Apple faces fresh scrutiny in Germany over app tracking rules

An association representing German publishers, advertisers and media agencies has rejected Apple’s proposed changes to its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool. The association said the revisions made by Apple fail to resolve antitrust concerns. In a joint statement, the group has asked Germany’s antitrust authority to impose a fine on Apple, saying the US company continues to act as a "data gatekeeper."
 
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