France to work with Facebook on hate speech, tobacco stocks plunge after FDA proposal, 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.

France is partnering with Facebook to tackle online hate speech. President Macron announced yesterday that the social media giant is allowing a team of senior civil servants to be embedded inside the company for six months to best determine how they can work together to remove harmful content. Germany took a different approach in January when it passed regulations forcing sites to remove banned content within 24 hours or face fines of up to €50 million. ? Here’s what people are saying.

More than ￡7 billion was wiped off tobacco stocks yesterday after reports emerged that the US Food and Drug Administration has proposed banning menthol cigarettes. British American Tobacco shares plunged 9.5% while Imperial Brands dropped 3.5%. The FDA is embarking on an aggressive campaign against flavoured e-cigarettes and tobacco products as concerns grow about their appeal to young people. Canada has already banned menthols, and the EU plans to do so from 2020. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Former Catalan leader Artur Mas and nine others have been ordered to repay €4.9 million of public money spent on a 2014 non-binding independence referendum. Spain’s audit office has ordered the money — which was spent on a website, 7,000 computers, printing and advertising — be paid back “to the extent of their possibilities”. Around 2.3 million of the eligible 6.3 million voters took part in the informal vote, deemed illegal by Spain's Constitutional Court, with 80% voting for independence. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Vodafone and Telecom Italia are in talks to build a shared 5G network in Italy, reports Bloomberg. The collaboration would see the telcos sharing the costs for rolling out the high-speed connections, as well as wireless towers, radio equipment and potentially the €4.8 billion in 5G spectrum they purchased at auction in October. The sale brought in more than €6.55 billion for the Italian government, raising concerns that consumers will pay more as operators seek to recoup costs. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Workers at a steelworks in Belgium have been given bonuses of €30,000 — by mistake. Instead of the expected €100, Thy-Marcinelle steelworks employees — who earn on average €1,600 per month — were surprised to wake up to an extra €30,000 in their bank accounts. While most assumed it was an error, some immediately spent part or all of the money. By law, the money must be reimbursed in full. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: Aiming for diversity in the workplace is not only the right thing to do, it’s also good for business, says GoDaddy CEO Scott Wagner.

“If we are to offer relevant, innovative products and experiences for our customers, our employees must reflect the diversity of those who use them.”

— Capucine Yeomans