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Inside Europe: The inside take on European affairs 09.01.10
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The great swine-flu sell off in France
The French government has been accused of extravagance and incompetence over its handling of the swine flu epidemic after cancelling half of its original order of vaccines.
Health authorities found they had more than enough to deal with the outbreak. Now millions of doses are being sold off to other countries. Doctors have also accused the government of badly organising the vaccination programme in France, where far fewer people have been vaccinated than in other parts of Europe. Alasdair Sandford reports from Paris. The headache facing the new President of Ukraine – whoever it may be
Ukrainian leaders doing battle for the presidency in the coming weeks will face an even more daunting task once in power -- a shattered economy, depleted state coffers and the prospect of default.
In short, they will have to deal with a year worse than 2009, when analysts said Ukraine's was on the verge of bankruptcy. Who the incumbent will be after the elections next week is anyone’s guess. But recent polls suggest current President Viktor Yushchenko, father of the "Orange" revolution, will not be re-elected. Geert Groot Koerkamp has this report from Kiev. Turning excess Christmas weight into the body of a Roman god.
The New Year has arrived and it’s not pretty. Many of us committed the sin of gluttony during the holidays…and no one probably more than Italians who spend days dining and drinking around the family table.
The Italian organization of agricultural producers reports that the average Italian gained two kilos. This is upsetting for Italians who want their bodies to be as beautiful as the art that fills the country. Our Rome correspondent Nancy Greenleese ate like an Italian…and now has to sweat like one. Back to work in Brussels
The first working day in a new decade was a special day for the European Union, not least because it was the first working day of the first permanent Council President, Herman Van Rompuy.
His position was created with the Lisbon treaty that entered into force a few weeks ago. The European Union has a lot on its plate this year – including finding solutions to the economic crisis as well as to external threats like climate change and terrorism. And on his first day in office Hermann Van Rompuy tried to prove he has a zest for action. Nina Haase reports from Brussels. Europe launches plans for a renewable energy supergrid
After all the hullaballoo and years of preparation, the Copenhagen climate change summit turned out to be nothing more than a damp squib with no real resolve to cut carbon emissions.
But there is movement afoot in Northern Europe to accelerate the switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy production. Europe's first electricity grid dedicated to renewable power will become a political reality this month, as nine countries formally draw up plans to link their clean energy projects around the North Sea. Earlier, Rob Turner spoke to Justin Wilkes, Head of Regulatory Affairs at the European Wind Energy Association, and asked him how effective the grid would be in helping the EU meet its target of 20% reduction in emissions by 2020? What really happened to the heaps of Naples garbage
Two years ago, steaming piles of rubbish lined the streets in and around the southern Italian city of Naples. The scene provoked a national emergency, and eventually the removal of the waste from view. Two years later, some concerned citizens are saying the garbage crisis wasn’t so much resolved, as displaced. And the same old questions about the mafia, government and dumping in the Italian south, remain unanswered. Megan Williams has this report from Caserta outside Naples. How to cope with snow chaos in Britain
Winter is taking its toll across Europe, but few countries seem as unprepared for snow as the UK.
Only the northernmost parts of Scotland get snow as a rule in winter, but now the whole of the UK is in its longest cold period for nearly 30 years, and has come to a standstill as heavy snow is blanketing the country. One of the worst affected areas is the North West. Native Norwegian Lars Bevanger sent this postcard from Manchester. Istanbul prepares to celebrate a year of culture
2010 sees Istanbul become one of Europe cultural capitals.
The city along with Essen in Germany and Pecs in Hungary are the 3 cities designated by the European Union as a centre of culture activities. But with the Turkish government allocating a budget that dwarfs that of the others, the Istanbul organizers are already claiming it will be the biggest and most successful. But as Dorian Jones now reports the project has become dogged in politics with not everyone buying into the hype. Overcoming adversity to achieve pop stardom
A career in the arts is a dream for many. Whether it be music, cinema, literature or painting, there’s something very attractive about the fame, status and money that comes with a creative career. But what if you aspire to work in this field and you have a learning disability? Well, you needn’t necessarily be excluded. Organisations across the world work specifically with learning disabled people encouraging them to explore their creative side. Heart and Soul is based in London and despite working with many people over the years, one face that has stuck around longer than most is singer/songwriter Lizzie Emeh. Heart and Soul have been developing her talent for the last decade, so much so that she recently released her first solo LP and a starstruck Neale Lytollis travelled to London to meet the diva herself.
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