The EU has moved a step closer to gender equality at a meeting of EU employment ministers yesterday.
“Parents will be allowed take four months each and transfer months between them to allow one parent to take up to seven months off. At least one month cannot be transferred to the other parent, a move seen as a boost to gender equality.”
“The plan applies to all workers, regardless of what kind of contract they have, and will require changes to national laws in the UK, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Romania and Malta.”
Celebrate on Saturday 13 March with Europe Direct and Leeds Library and Information Service.
The programme:
2pm Introduction
2.10pm Kushi Group - Hindi wedding songs
2.25pm Maria Doody - Columbian songs
2.40pm Nana-Essi Casely-Hayford - African poetry
2.55pm Miranda Arieh - Acoustics/bass guitar
3.10pm break
3.30pm Ana Louise & Barbara - South American songs/dance
3.45pm Hilary J Murray- Poetry
4 pm Finale with Famul
Every year over 180,000 students across Europe study in the Erasmus University exchange programme. Students spend a semester or academic year at a foreign university to develop their language skills and for new experiences abroad. Here British Green MEP Alyn Smith and a Lithuanian intern Egl? Draugelyt? at the European Parliament talk about their experiences.
We had an interesting day at the conference “Migration and Citizenship in a Changing Community” on 3 March 2010. The event was organised by Europe Direct Leeds and Leeds City Council’s Adult Social Care unit.
Speakers included Christian Krappitz, European Commission Representative, Professor Lena Dominelli from the University of Durham and Almamy Taal from MARCO (Migrants Asylum seekers and Refugees Community Organisation). Further people told about their personal experiences of coming to Leeds.
There was music, food, a quiz and lots of networking. The main points were made around the folowing keywords: Control, Power and Choice.
If you attended please feel free to add photos to our Facebook page. And if you are still shaky on your citizenship test scores why not come to one of Leeds’ libraries to practice for free!
Timothy Dalton is a film,TV and theatre actor born in Wales 21 March 1946. Although best known for playing James Bond 007 in the Living Daylights and Licence to kill our favourite Timothy roles are Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre, Prince Barin in Flash Gordon, Neville Sinclair in The Rocketeer, Simon Skinner in Hot Fuzz and more recently Lord President of the Timelords in Doctor Who.
“European e-Skills Week highlights the growing demand for skilled ICT users and professionals to drive a competitive and innovative Europe. This exciting campaign seeks to inform students, young professionals and SMEs about the vast range of opportunities that ICT-related jobs present.” Go to the e-Skills Week website for more information.
We would like to alert you to the following event:
Climate Risk and the City.
Thursday March 18 from 5.30pm to 7.30pm in the Thoresby Room, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 8BH.
Tea and coffee will be available from 5.10pm and the event will start promptly at 5.30pm.
Hosted by the ESRC Centre for Climate Change, Economics and Policy as part of the ESRC’s Festival of Social Science, the event will examine the projected impact of climate change, the risks that climate change could pose for cities, how these risks might best be managed and the ways we can move toward climate resilient, low carbon cities.
Presentations from the Environment Agency, Arup, Friends of the Earth and Leeds City Council, as well as the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, will be followed by a lively debate and exhibition.
According to the Daily Mail “rhubarb has now earned the same status as Champagne”.
This is because it has been given European protected name status. ADAS explain on their website: “The EU Protected Food Name Scheme identifies regional and traditional foods whose authenticity and origin can be guaranteed. Under this system a named food or drink (separate arrangements exist for wines and spirits) registered at a European level will be given legal protection against imitation throughout the EU.”
Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb is grown out of season, indoors and harvested by candlelight to preserve the sweet flavour. Learn more about Forced Rhubarb on the TimesOnline website. And here is a recipe for you to try: Forced Rhubarb
Joseph Kutter was born in Luxembourg on 12 December 1894. He studied art in Strasbourg, Munich and Cologne, and went on to become one of the most outstanding expressionist artists. He mainly painted tragic portraits, still-lifes, townscapes and landscapes.
The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small country surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany, and its history has been inextricably linked with that of its larger neighbours. It is largely made up of rolling hills and forests.
Luxembourg has been under the control of many states and ruling houses in its long history, but it has been a separate, if not always autonomous, political unit since the 10th century. Today, Luxembourg is a hereditary Grand Duchy with a unicameral parliamentary system.
Luxembourgish, the national language, is akin to German. German is the first foreign language for most Luxembourgers and is used in the media. French is the administrative language.
The economic structure of Luxembourg is based mainly in banking, insurance, and the steel industry. Agriculture and wine production are also important.
Many of Luxembourg’s speciality dishes are of the type one would expect in a forested country. They include jugged hare and Ardennes ham. Trout and pike, fresh from the country’s rivers, also feature regularly on menus here.
“You can now access books, journals, films, maps etc from across Europe via the EU’s online library, Europeana. It’s a great idea but it’s not all plain sailing: web copyright rules are not the same in all EU countries, there are issues about paying for items that are still under copyright and should there be a minimum standard for content?
The Culture Committee is likely to adopt a draft report on the issue Monday afternoon (22 February).“
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Europe Direct Leeds is part of a network of 16 centres in the UK, 500 across Europe which aim to act as an interface between the EU and its citizens at local level.
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