Human Times

European Edition

18th December 2025

THE HOT STORY

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.

Reuters

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WORKFORCE

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

Deutsche Welle (EN)

France 24

U.S. News

LEGAL

US threatens to retaliate against EU firms

The United States could impose fees or restrictions on European service providers in response to what it called “discriminatory” actions against US firms. In a post on X, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) accused the European Union and some of its member states of "discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines and directives against US service providers." The dispute is over policies governing digital commerce, as the EU moves to regulate US tech giants including Google, Meta Platforms and Amazon. The USTR named several European companies, including DHL, SAP, Amadeus IT Group, Capgemini, Publicis Groupe and Mistral AI, which it said have been able to "operate freely" in the US market for years.

Bloomberg

Reuters

Record delays plague UK employment tribunal system

Delays in the UK's employment tribunal system have reached unprecedented levels, with over 515,000 claims pending as of September 2025. This represents a 33% increase from the previous year. Rob McKellar, legal services director at law firm Peninsula, said: "With the current backlog of over half a million claims, and some regions listing cases for 2028, it’s clear that pressure on the tribunal system is higher than ever before." Business groups warn the Employment Rights Bill could worsen the backlog.

The Times

TECHNOLOGY

Number of Italian firms adopting AI doubles, but uptake remains low

The adoption of artificial intelligence among Italian companies has doubled in the past year, with 16.4% of firms employing AI technologies, up from 8.2% in 2024. However, a significant 83.6% of firms still do not use AI, primarily due to issues such as a lack of necessary skills, unclear regulations, and data protection concerns. Larger companies have seen the highest increases in AI usage, especially in sectors like IT services and video production, where applications include data extraction and generative AI technologies.

Reuters

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.

The Guardian

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Castel beer empire faces leadership rift amid family power struggle

Castel Group, the secretive French drinks empire founded by billionaire Pierre Castel, is facing internal turmoil after nephew Alain Castel resigned from a key board role and reports emerged of a family-backed push to oust chief executive Gregory Clerc. Mr Clerc, the first outsider to lead the group, claims full board support as tensions with founder’s daughter Romy Castel escalate. The dispute highlights succession risks in family-run businesses, as the €6.5bn empire navigates leadership change, geopolitical challenges, and shifting market dynamics.

Bloomberg

RISK

UK orders review of foreign interference in British politics

The government has announced an independent review into the impact of foreign financial influence and interference in domestic politics from Russia and other hostile states after one of Reform UK’s former senior politicians, Nathan Gill, was jailed for accepting bribes from a pro-Kremlin agent. The review will assess Britain’s rules on political financing and the safeguards in place to detect and prevent “illicit money from abroad.” Security minister Dan Jarvis said the review, which is expected to conclude by March, would “help to strengthen our democracy against covert attempts to interfere with our sovereign affairs . . . It will rigorously test the financial safeguards we currently have in place and ensure we have all the tools necessary to disrupt and deter threats.”

INTERNATIONAL

Class action filed against Woolworths for alleged staff underpayments

Class action proceedings have been filed against Australian grocery giant Woolworths in Federal Court, alleging potential underpayments to staff in South Australia. Woolworths said the claims brought by Shine Lawyers involve a subsidiary, and were based on a South Australian state law that was repealed some time ago, which deemed Sundays to be public holidays. Woolworths said it would defend the proceedings. A prior proceeding had been filed by another law firm, Dutton Law, regarding staff underpayments.

Reuters

UPS underpaid holiday season workers, lawsuit alleges

The New York Attorney-General’s office has accused global delivery giant UPS of underpaying its seasonal workers. In a statement, Attorney-General Letitia James’ office said UPS “commits wage theft against these workers in myriad ways . . . [and] has repeatedly and persistently failed to pay seasonal delivery workers for all time worked,” suggesting that thousands of past and present workers have been affected. The filing alleges workers were not being paid for their labour before and after shifts as well as during meal breaks, and that the company's timekeeping “introduced and compounded” errors.

CBS News

CNBC

Washington Post

Petrobras strike disrupts operations amid pension disputes

A strike at Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras has entered its third day, affecting 24 oil platforms and eight refineries due to disputes regarding pension fund deficits and employee compensation. Despite the strike, Petrobras claims that overall production has not been impacted, because the company has implemented contingency measures to maintain operations. The union reported that additional facilities, including transport units and biodiesel plants, have also been affected by the action.

Reuters

OTHER

EU leaders call for housing funding

Jaume Collboni, the mayor of Barcelona, has described the rising cost of housing as a "new pandemic" affecting Europe. He and 16 other city leaders have urged the EU to allocate billions for affordable housing. The EU plans to unveil its first housing strategy soon, responding to a crisis that has seen property prices rise by 48% since 2010. Collboni said: "We cannot remain stuck in the rhetoric of defending democracy . . . if people's standard of living is getting worse." The mayors seek a fund to mobilise €300bn annually for affordable housing initiatives.

The Guardian

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