President Donald Trump is reportedly considering ending military hostilities with Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. According to sources from The Wall Street Journal, Trump discussed this scenario with his advisors recently, though no final decision has been reached.
Starting next year, employers in the Netherlands will no longer be compensated for severance payments to long-term sick employees, potentially costing workers an average of 17,000 euros. The labor union CNV warns that this change may lead to an increase in 'dormant employment' cases where sick workers are kept on the payroll without being formally dismissed. This policy shift effectively marks a return to previous labor practices that disadvantaged chronically ill staff.
Multiple polling stations in Armenia received false bomb threats during the country's tense elections, according to state media. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the threats were intended to influence the voting results, though the perpetrators remain unidentified.
The Dutch Parliamentary Inquiry Committee has begun eight weeks of hearings to examine the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020. Key figures are being questioned to identify lessons for the future, with significant attention focused on the upcoming testimony of former Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
At least one person was killed and five others were injured in a series of suspected shootings in central Israel near the West Bank. Israeli rescue services reported that the incidents occurred at multiple locations across the central part of the country.
Coen van Oostrom, chairman of the employers' federation VNO-NCW, suggests that social security in the Netherlands should be organized more efficiently to avoid potential budget cuts. During an appearance on the television program WNL Op Zondag, he expressed hope that alternative solutions could be found to preserve the social safety net.