Let’s start with the big news over Berlusconi! Italy’s Constitutional Court decided that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should not have immunity from prosecution while in office. Yes, he can’t be above the law anymore, but he will continue to govern. Berlusconi has often complained of being a victim of “left-wing” magistrates. Moreover, the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) already said he should resign if he lost his immunity. In fact, this is not going to be easy because the PD has no majority in Parliament and Mr Berlusconi continues to score quite well in opinion polls, with around 50 percent support.

Dinosaur prints

French fossil hunters have discovered huge dinosaur footprints at Plagne, in Eastern France. They said that it is among the biggest in the world. The footprints were made about 150 million years ago by sauropods. They are long-necked herbivores. The prints are about 1.50 m wide, like an animal that measured more than 25 m long and weighed about 30 tonnes. So, it could be sauropods. Moreover, the region was near a shallow, warm sea at the time the sauropods lived there. Nice discovery!

French minister in ‘boy sex’ row

Frederic Mitterrand, the French ministre of culture,  is facing intense pressure over a book he wrote four years ago. This book described paying for “young boys” in Thailand. In the book “The Bad Life”, he wrote: “I got into the habit of paying for boys”. He also wrote that all these things of the market for youths, the slave market excited him a lot and that immediately available young boys put him in a state of desire. Whatever floats your boat!

Czech out the menu

We now know a bit more about the program sketched out by the Czech Republic for the 6 months to come. Is it necessary to remind you that the CR is European Union’s presiding nation since the start of this year? No, I didn’t think so loyal viewers…The program’s bulletpoints can be summed up as follows:-        establish, diversify and maintain energy supplies. This implies the construction of oil and gas pipelines is a top priority. The rehabilitation of nuclear energy is on the table as well.-        Also, Prague intends to focus on international relations and thus considers essential working in collaboration with the US. Nevertheless, let’s not forget the Gaza issue is on their plate too.-        And the last main concern is the Lisbon Treaty and Ireland. Prague announces it is willing to further the debate -quote- “sensitively and with respect for the sovereignty of the Irish people.”   6 months to do all that… the poor things are not gonna get a lot of sleep… 

http://www.euronews.net/fr/article/14/01/2009/czechs-present-eu-6-month-plan/   

Plasma screens in the line of fire 

A list of things that will forever be incompatible : cheese and chocolate, jennifer lopez and singing/acting skills, plasma tv screens and eco-friendly…If you got one of these at home, I assume you can afford the electricity bill that comes with it, but still, just so you know, if you were to leave a plasma tv switched on for 24 hours all year round, it would cost you the triffling sum of 150 euros. Actually, the same goes for the PS3 or the Xbox.Brussels is very well aware of that and is working on publishing a set of energy consuming norms the fabricants will have to comply to, and this, no later that springtime this year…If you were used to spend 23 hours a day on GTA ViceCity on your plasma, just tell yourself the Brussels regulation may help you having a life again;) 

http://www.lasprovincias.es/valencia/20090114/vida-ocio/quiere-apagar-teles-plasma-20090114.html  

Eternal youth 

We knew there was a European capital of culture, Vilnius for the year 2009, we just found out there is also a European youth capital! This year’s Rotterdam, and they created a graphically cool and stylish website, with very positive and high spirited ideas and initiatives. Most of it can be read in English, but it’s a shame the blogs or the ambassadors greeting page haven’t been translated. Anyway, the address is “your09.nl”,  nl for netherlands of course…   

http://your09.nl/blog

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