EurActiv.com - Sustainable Cities | EU - European Information on ...

Nonetheless, EU sectoral policies in the areas of transport, environment and social affairs can have a significant impact on cities.

EU ministers responsible for urban and spatial development have also attempted to lay the foundations for a European urban policy with the signature on 24 May 2007 of the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities (EurActiv ).

This system is increasingly attracting criticism for being wasteful as a result of significant efficiency losses during the transport of electricity as well as the fact that many buildings and households require urgent efficiency upgrades.

In addition to improving insulation and taking other measures to reduce energy waste in buildings (see EurActiv on green buildings), there are also growing calls for a transformation of the way in which power is generated and distributed, whereby buildings become both electricity producers and consumers.

This vision of 'microgeneration' or decentralised generation is reflected in the Parliament's first reading in response to the Commission's 23 January proposal for ambitious renewable energy legislation (see EurActiv ).

Total kilometres travelled in EU urban areas are expected to increase by 40% between 1995 and 2030, with significant consequences for the health and quality of life of city-dwellers and the economic performance of the cities themselves.

In September 2007, the Commission outlined a new strategy that sets out a wide range of potential solutions and areas where the EU could take action to tackle growing congestion, air pollution and safety problems in Europe's cities (see EurActiv on urban transport).

In its June 2008 declaration on climate change, the organisation affirms that "the local level has an essential role to play in the fight against climate change and therefore cities are crucial partners, in coordination with the EU institutions and the member states".



Source: http://www.euractiv.com/en/sustainability/sustainable-cities/article-175936

France to boost competition in mobile telecoms

The licence would be awarded in 2010 to enable the fourth

operator to start services in 2012, Luc Chatel, the secretary of

state for consumer affairs and industry, told parliament on

France had originally sought to sell an entire fourth

licence with the same capacity in bandwidth as the first three,

but Iliad had asked to be able to pay the licence fee in

In 2000, France had put a price of 5 billion euros on the 3G

licences at the height of the Internet bubble and a UMTS bidding

bonanza by operators all over the world.

As the bubble burst, the state cut the price to a fixed fee

of 619 million plus an annual fee of 1 percent of sales.



Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssTechMediaTelecomNews/idUSL558012220090205

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Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=aOo4.hhkWp7c&refer=australia

Where to stay with kids 2: Ciao Bambino!

Amie O'Shaughnessy, a passionate traveler who, like myself, discovered that motherhood is not necessarily the cure for the travel bug, founded to help take the guess work out of finding vacation properties the world over that are suitable for baby and toddler travelers, as well as those that serve the interests and desires of school-age kids and teens.

Properties recommended for this age help families strike a balance between parent-centered sightseeing and the intrests of kids, often by providing activities like swimming or easy bike riding from the property to help keep kids busy and entertained > Cool for teens (13-18) - Ideal properties include a variety of onsite and/or nearby age-appropriate activities for teenage travelers.

For more info: To find more help for planning your family's best trip with children under 5 years, check out the sections on "Anticipating Ages and Stages," "Deciding Where to Go," "Temperaments in Transit," and "Childproofing On the Go" in .

If you're preparing to fly with a baby or toddler, rest assured that the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) will allow you to bring the following types of liquids through security for your child in quantities that exceed the 3 oz.



Source: http://www.examiner.com/x-1920-Travels-with-Baby-Examiner

World stocks rise on hopes downturn is stabilizing

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Later Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is to unveil new rules for the program, which has been heavily criticized for doling out hundreds of billions of dollars to banks with few conditions on how the money is spent.

"People are waiting to see what happens in the U.S.," said Conita Hung, head of equity markets with Delta Asia Financial Group in .

| Dec 5, 2008 Just a year after buying The Wall Street Journal, the press rapscallion has revitalized the fusty paper.



Source: http://www.newsweek.com/id/157244

Crime Scene KC

one night in southeastern Iowa, went into a water-filled culvert and turned over, with the trailer on top of it.Two of the three men inside were trapped by their seat belts.

The third approached a sheriff's deputy for a knife to cut the men free.The men were rescued, and the deputy received a governor's commendation for heroism.

(AP) - The first of the young men to hang himself loved to spend time outdoors hunting and fishing.

(AP) - A carjacking suspect called 911 and turned himself in to police after he crashed a stolen sport utility vehicle twice and got lost while fleeing the crime scene, authorities said.Claude King, 31, called police from a Palm Springs pay phone."Um, I committed a crime," he told the dispatcher.



Source: http://blogs.kansascity.com/crime_scene/2006/12/index.html

Airports closed as France braces for storm

Flights into and out of the Paris regions were disrupted from 6pm and were to be cancelled outright from 8pm until 10am on Tuesday because of high winds closing in on the capital.

All flights to and from the city's two main airports, Charles de Gaulle (Roissy) and Orly, have been cancelled within that time period and travellers were asked not to head to either of them, authorities said.

The long Atlantic coast was expected to be worst hit, with heavy rain and gales there predicted to reach 140km/h, but the entire west and north of the country was in the storm's path, weather forecasters said.

The French navy has put three rescue vessels on standby to sail to the aid of any shipping in difficulty in the mouth of the Channel, while sand bags have been deployed on sea-fronts exposed to potential flooding.



Source: http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20090209191359370C187390

Afghan leader: need to reconcile with Taliban

not come to Afghanistan, or to the region, or to the international community without better coordination with our neighbors," Karzai said.

"We will invite all of those Taliban who are not part of al-Qaida, who are not part of terrorist networks, who want to return to their country, who want to live by the constitution of Afghanistan, who want to have a normal life, to come back to their country," Karzai said.

Jung said Germany thought the number of troops in Afghanistan was sufficient, given NATO's roughly 55,000 forces there and the fact that Washington was preparing to double American troops to about 60,000.

After fits and starts, the White House and Congress are moving on parallel tracks toward a new round of heavy intervention in the U.S.



Source: http://www.dcexaminer.com/ap?id=1595822

FRANCE 'HAPPY TO HOST' GERMAN BATTALION: SARKOZY

MUNICH, Germany, Feb 7, 2009 (AFP) - President Nicolas Sarkozy welcomedSaturday the imminent deployment of German troops on French soil, describing the move as a historic act.

France "would be happy to host on its territory" a German battalion for the first time since invading German forces were forced out at the end of WorldWar II, he told a major security conference in Munich, southern Germany.

"It will have reconnaissance and infantry companies and have a headquarters, corresponding to a force of 600 to 700 troops," Morin told AFP on the sidelines of the conference.

German troops occupied much of France during World War II, and the eastern Alsace-Lorraine region where Illkirch is located has a patchwork history ofannexation and occupation under both countries.



Source: http://www.ttc.org/200902071447.n17el7524339.htm