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UK Edition
19th December 2025
 
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THE HOT STORY

Over-50s should work for longer, Lords says

The UK should incentivise helping people in their 50s and 60s to stay in work to ease pressure on public finances and living standards, a House of Lords inquiry has said. The report by the economic affairs committee, Preparing for an Ageing Society, also argued against the impact of age discrimination in the workplace. “The most damaging form of age discrimination [could be] self-directed, with older workers operating under a mistaken impression of its extent and therefore limiting their own choices,” the report found. Lord Wood of Anfield, the committee’s chair, went on to observe: “One of the things we want to point out in this report is that the biggest impact will fall on the young and on people who are yet to be born . . . It is these people who are going to face lives that extend, on average, into their 90s but still live in a world which is structured on a principle of, you go to school, you have a job, and you retire in your 60s.”
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TECHNOLOGY

AI likely to displace jobs, Bank of England governor says

The governor of the Bank of England has said that the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence is "likely" to displace people from jobs in a similar way to that seen during the Industrial Revolution. Andrew Bailey said the UK needed to have the "training, education, [and] skills in place" so workers could shift into jobs that use AI. He told the BBC that people looking for a job would find securing employment "a lot easier" if they had such skills. However, Bailey warned that there was an issue with younger, inexperienced professionals finding it difficult to secure entry-level roles due to AI.
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WORKPLACE

Secret Santa poses workplace risks

Lucy Knight writes in the Guardian that Secret Santa can pose workplace risks if poorly managed. Anonymous or “jokey” gifts can humiliate recipients, trigger grievances and, in serious cases, amount to harassment. HR specialists warn against gifts that reference personal traits, trauma, health, sexuality, alcohol or food sensitivities. Knight adds that many organisations now mitigate risk through opt-outs, spending limits, named gifts, wishlists or outright bans, recognising that festive activities should not undermine psychological safety, inclusion or professionalism at work.
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LEGAL

AI employment law firm negotiates £30k settlement for client

An unnamed healthcare worker has made history by winning a legal battle with the help of Grapple Law, an AI-operated legal practice. After being placed on a Performance Improvement Plan, she sought assistance from the AI firm due to financial constraints. Within weeks, she secured £30,000 without needing a tribunal or human lawyer, saying: "The AI helped me understand I had a strong case." Grapple Law founder Alex Monaco described it as “the first time in the UK – and potentially worldwide – that an AI has negotiated a settlement on behalf of an individual.”

Case to decide whether WhatsApp messages are legally binding

A High Court test case will decide whether WhatsApp messages are legally binding. London-based artist Hsiao Mei-Lin claims her former husband signed over their £1.5m home to her via WhatsApp after their split.  Barrister Steven Fennell argued that the messages had not been signed and so were not legally binding. If found to be so, he said, “the result will be that a WhatsApp message in and of itself, without a ‘signature’ in the text, will in all cases count as signed for the purposes of all statutory requirements for signature.”
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STRATEGY

Norsk Hydro plans major job cuts

More than 100 jobs are at risk at Norsk Hydro's aluminium and renewable energy plant in Bedwas, Caerphilly. The company has announced it may close five sites across Europe due to "weak demand and low capacity utilisation." Lindsay Whittle, Plaid Cymru MS for Caerphilly, described the news as a "devastating blow before Christmas." A spokesperson said: "Hydro has decided to consolidate the extrusions operations in Europe." The formal consultation with employee representatives is ongoing, and if confirmed, the Bedwas plant closure could occur in 2026.
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CYBERSECURITY

Pornhub hack exposes users' viewing habits

Hackers from the ShinyHunters group have accessed the personal information of 200m Pornhub premium users. The stolen data includes viewing habits, email addresses, and activity types. Pornhub confirmed that the breach originated from Mixpanel, a data analytics provider, and said that no passwords or payment details were compromised. 
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INTERNATIONAL

Portugal's government to amend labour reform

Portugal's government is to amend labour reform legislation in the wake of the country's first general strike since June 2013. Unions said the labour code - an important part of the government's agenda to boost productivity and economic growth - favours employers at the expense of workers. Labour Minister Maria do Rosario Ramalho on Tuesday met with the leadership of umbrella union UGT,  and said the government was now ready to reach a compromise. "It was a very constructive meeting. This is not about backing down, but about bringing positions closer together in a negotiation," she said, adding that UGT would also put forward proposals to seek a middle ground.

Louvre workers vote to extend strike

Employees at the Louvre have voted to extend their strike, which has already disrupted operations at the world's most visited museum. The strike, which was launched due to chronic understaffing and recent management decisions, followed a recent jewels heist that highlighted security issues. Union officials said that proposed measures from the Culture Ministry, including cancelling a funding cut and increasing staff compensation, are insufficient. Louvre President Laurence des Cars has admitted to an "institutional failure" in the wake of the heist.

JD.com invests in housing for couriers

Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com has pledged 22 billion yuan ($3.12bn) in housing support for its delivery riders. JD.com said it has already provided 28,000 units of housing for front-line employees and will provide 150,000 units over the next five years. Food delivery firm Meituan last month made a similar promise, and said it would invest 10 billion yuan over the next five years to build a more comprehensive welfare system for its couriers. The firm has a subsidised "Rider Apartments" scheme in cities including Beijing, Shenzhen and Chongqing which offers affordable, secure and subsidised housing. Rents in some areas of Beijing are offered at around 50% of market rates.

Milei files labour reform proposal to Congress

Argentine President Javier Milei has submitted a labour reform proposal to Congress, in a bid to address what it described as excessive bureaucracy and a "rigid structure" that hinders job creation. The proposed bill seeks to provide employers with more flexibility regarding working hours and severance pay, while also incentivizing the hiring of formal workers and allowing salaries to be paid in foreign currencies. However, the reform faces strong opposition from unions, which are planning a march in Buenos Aires. The bill has the support, however, of industry chamber the Argentina Industrial Union, whose president Martin Rappallini said: "We hope this will little by little start a process to change the dynamic of loss of employment . . . Argentina needs to generate formal work."
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OTHER

French far right proposes to reopen brothels

Marine Le Pen's National Rally party is proposing a bill to reopen brothels in France. Brothels were banned in 1946. Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a party member, argues that the 2016 law criminalising clients has worsened conditions for sex workers. He advocates for cooperatives run by sex workers to ensure their safety and rights. While some support the idea, others, including sex workers and advocacy groups, criticised the proposal as a publicity stunt. Equality Minister Aurore Berge said that France has no plans to change its current stance on prostitution.
 
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