Here come the robots; BA pilots cancel their strike, and more top news

The news professionals in Europe are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation on today's stories in the comments. 

Worldwide investment in industrial robots hit $16.5 billion last year — a new record, according to a report from World Robotics. China made up one third of installations involved in manufacturing, with Germany, Japan, Korea and the US rounding out the top five markets. Growth in robot installations declined in China but was up 14% in Europe and 20% in the Americas. Automation has been at the centre of debates regarding the plight of manufacturing workers (and, increasingly, their white-collar colleagues) and job retraining efforts. ? Here’s what people are saying.

British Airways pilots have shelved plans for a one-day strike later this month. The decision comes after the carrier was forced to cancel or reschedule almost all of its flights during a two-day strike over pay earlier this month — a move that cost the airline ￡40m per day, according to Bloomberg. The British Airline Pilots’ Association says it's backing off so that pilots can pursue “meaningful new discussions” with the airline, but warns it will organise a new strike should BA fail to negotiate. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Turkey’s banking regulator has told banks to write off $8.1 billion in bad loans, reports The Financial Times. The move to reclassify them by the end of the year will see the sector’s ratio of non-performing loans increase to 6.3%, from 4.6%. Many Turkish building and energy firms, which in recent years took out loans in foreign currencies, were hit hard when the lira plunged almost 30% last year, resulting in a rise of bad loans. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Is this the future of travel? A “flying” electric river taxi is being tested on the Seine in Paris this week. The “Sea Bubble”, which rises out of the water on hydrofoil wings, makes no noise or waves and emits no CO2 — offering an environmentally friendly transport alternative. Backers of the taxi, the brainchild of French yachtsman Alain Thébault, hope to secure a commercial licence later this month, and say they have already received interest from cities including Geneva, Miami and Saint-Tropez. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Watercooler talk was long ago supplanted by Slack channels and snarky online chats conducted by workers sitting side-by-side, enveloped by noise-cancelling headphones, The New York Times notes. Suddenly, company mixers and corporate retreats have become the last bastion of genuine human interaction among colleagues who “would otherwise remain the closest of strangers.” Yet these events have their issues, too. Gossip often flows as freely as the drinks, and employees can feel pressure to “showcase skills that have little to do with job performance.” ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: “Unchecked” CEO control may be the reason behind a lot of recently unsuccessful IPO filings — including that of WeWork, says Alan Patricof, Chairman at Greycroft.

“The bottom line is that if a company wants to tap the public capital markets, that company must act like a public company.”

What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.

— Capucine Yeomans