France protests an ‘economic catastrophe’, Italy fines Facebook €10 million, 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’s fourth consecutive weekend of “yellow vest” protests drew more than 125,000 demonstrators and led authorities to deploy roughly 90,000 officers. In Paris, violence flared as 10,000 protesters caused significant damage, smashing windows, burning cars and looting stores. Officials say 1,700 were arrested and 118 wounded as stores shuttered and streets emptied to prevent further damage. Finance minister Bruno Le Maire describes the situation as a “catastrophe” for the French economy. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Italian authorities have fined Facebook €10 million for data misuse. The social media giant was hit with two fines for misleading users over how their data is sold, and for “aggressively” discouraging them from trying to limit how their data is shared. Facebook — which has been ordered to publish an apology on its website and app — says it is reviewing the decision. It’s the second fine the company has received since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke in March. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Germany’s rail workers will stage a four-hour nationwide strike today. The industrial action — which is due to start at 5am and will affect local, regional and long-distance trains — comes after pay talks between EVG union and rail operator Deutsche Bahn broke down over the weekend. The union is asking for a 7.5% wage increase and changes to working hours and holidays; state-owned Deutsche Bahn says it offered a 5.1% pay rise in two stages and a one-off payment of €500, which is equivalent to a 7% wage increase. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Mobile operator O2 is reportedly seeking up to ￡100 million in damages from supplier Ericsson in the wake of last week’s network collapse. More than 25 million UK O2 customers were hit by the day-long data outage, leaving them unable to use 3G or 4G services to access the internet. Swedish telecommunications firm Ericsson has blamed expired software licences for the problem. Customer compensation measures have been put in place for those affected by the outage. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Women account for fewer than 5% of CEOs in Europe and the US. That’s according to a new study from Heidrick & Struggles, which found that women held just 4.9% of the top positions across 13 countries — ranging from 6.9% in the US, to 0% in Denmark and Italy. In some countries, like the UK, the number is falling. Heidrick & Struggles vice-chairman Anne Lim O’Brien notes that while awareness of the gender gap at the executive level is at an all-time high, change is “glacial”. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: Wishing you hadn’t worked so hard is a regret many of us share, says Robert Glazer, founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners.

“It's easy to get caught up in the idea that working hard now will make it possible to focus on being happy later... the fact is, we can do what we really want to do now. We just need to approach things from a different perspective.”

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

— Capucine Yeomans