These were the 10 biggest European tech stories this week

Happy Friday Saturday! This week, Tech.eu tracked 5 technology M&A transactions, one IPO and 63 tech funding deals (totalling €125.5 million) in Europe, Turkey and Israel.

Here’s an overview of the 10 biggest European tech news items for this week:

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1) Skyscanner has been acquired for £1.4 billion by Chinese online travel company Ctrip (mostly in cash). The Edinburgh-based flight meta search company will continue to operate independently.

2) Facebook will hire an extra 500 workers in the UK when it opens a new headquarters in London, increasing its British workforce by half.

3) Microsoft is set to gain EU approval for its $26 billion buy of professional social network LinkedIn with tweaks to concessions aimed at addressing competition concerns, sources told Reuters.

4) France-based Wynd has secured €30 million from Sodexo Ventures, Orange Digital Ventures, Bpifrance and others to take its point-of-sale solution to international markets.

5) PM Theresa May to announce £2 billion annual fund to boost UK tech and science.

6) Paris-based Agricool has raised $4.3 million to harvest fruits and vegetables in shipping containers.

7) German interactive music TV channel tape.tv has filed for insolvency.

8) Paris, France-based investment firm Idinvest Partners has held the initial closing of its second capital growth fund at €250 million.

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9) Monsanto has agreed to acquire VitalFields, an Estonian farm management software company, for an undisclosed amount.

10) Latvia has passed a new ‘innovation and startup tax law’ to double venture capital in the country.

Bonus link: Europe’s software industry brings a total value-added GDP of €910 billion to the EU’s economy, whether direct, indirect, or induced, according to a report from BSA, The Software Alliance.

This post originally appeared on Tech.eu.

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