Alitalia rescue package grounded, German tech unicorn Celonis valued at €2.26b, 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. 

Plans to send Alitalia back to the skies may be grounded after a consortium to revive Italys’ bankrupt airline sputtered, reports Bloomberg. Ahead of yesterday's Government deadline for a rescue bid, state rail operator Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane said conditions were not in place to form a partnership, following a similar statement from Italian firm Atlantia. Potential partner, Deutsche Lufthansa signalled any deal would involve significant job cuts and flight reductions. Kept afloat by the Italian Government, Alitalia is estimated to lose €700,000 euros a day and hasn’t posted a profit for 15 years. ? Here’s what people are saying.

German software firm Celonis has cemented its position as one of Europe’s top unicorn companies by raising €262 million. Established by three friends as a college project in 2011, Celonis is a pioneer of ‘process mining’ which uses algorithms to analyse a company’s IT data to streamline processes and reduce costs. It is now valued at €2.26 billion. Posting on Linkedin today, Co-CEO Alexander Rinke said the investment, from multiple sources including CEOs of fellow software firms Qualtrics and Procore, will “enable us to extend our platform and cement our status as the market leader for process excellence software”. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Also… Low-cost airline Norwegian has named Jacob Schram, formerly employed by Circle K, Statoil, McDonald's and McKinsey, as incoming CEO from January 1. The company has battled with profitability and slow growth.

French winemakers are giving three cheers after the Government abandoned a campaign to urge people to abstain from alcohol during January. Inspired by a similar initiative by UK association Alcohol Change, the campaign was vigorously opposed by winemakers who said it promoted “total abstinence”. Health Minister Agnes Buzyn admitted no discussion of the campaign will be held until February, effectively ruling it out for 2020. France has the third-highest per capita consumption of alcohol among the 36 members of the OECD, and France's Public Health Agency says alcohol results in 41,000 deaths each year. ? Here’s what people are saying.

A growing backlash against single-use plastics is prompting fast food chains to drop toys from their kids’ menus or find new ways to reuse them. Burger King says it will stop offering non-biodegradable toys globally by 2025, while McDonald’s has moved to scale back on plastic toys in the UK and other non-US markets, offering kids a choice between a toy or a book. It’s not clear, however, whether the move will make a big dent in fast-food’s pollution problems, compared with waste tied to packaging, foam cups and other “environmentally harmful” products, says The New York Times. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Some 40% of adults would fake being sick if they needed a day off, according to a survey conducted for the BBC. The research also revealed two-thirds of adults would not tell bosses if they knew a coworker was pulling a sickie. According to the ONS, the average employee uses roughly four sick days a year. The BBC survey quizzed people not only about faking illness, but about other work-related morals and values. It found almost a third of respondents had stolen work supplies like staplers and notebooks. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: When you're launching a new business, be smart about how you're spending money, advises Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.

 "It’s important to invest in your business, but do it in a smart way. Cut out anything that isn’t essential to building your brand. Save money where you can and don’t quit your day job until your new business starts taking off."

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

— Cathy Anderson and Andrea Beattie