The days of the 75-watt incandescent light bulbs seem to be numbered. Stores may sell their existing stock, but January 2nd’s new federal law is preparing to phase out production and importation. Forty- and 60-watt incandescent bulbs will face the same slow death next year. The government is instead favoring fluorescent bulbs including CFLs, or compact fluorescent light, for the bulbs’ ability... 

The US seeks to lift limitations on its LNG deliveries to Europe and strengthen competition in European energy markets. It’s to break the EU’s dependence on Russian gas, as “the Russians overplayed their hand”, says US Senator Richard G. Lugar. “In the past, Moscow showed itself quick to use energy as a club to punish and coerce its neighbors — but the Russians overplayed their hand,”... 

Bankia’s headquarters in Madrid Spain’s nationalized Bankia says it plans to cut 6,000 jobs by laying off about 28 percent of its staff over the next three years. The announcement on Wednesday follows a preliminary report on Madrid’s overall economy by the Spanish Central Bank suggesting that the country’s job-killing recession is expected to persist into the final quarter of 2012. Bankia’s... 

Provisional figures released by Greece’s national statistics authority have shown the country’s deficit and public debt for 2011 are worse than estimated. According to provisional data published by ELSTAT statistics agency on Monday, the 2011 deficit stood at 9.4 percent of gross domestic product and the public debt at 170.6 percent. “The revisions as regards the debt ratios are primarily... 

Six EU member states have asked the European Commission to adopt a mechanism that would allow them to terminate visa-free travel from West Balkan states. The request follows an exponential rise in mainly Roma asylum-seekers from the region. Interior ministers of Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg have sent a proposal of a suspension clause, which is expected to be passed... 

In an obscure working document, the European Commission has announced it is working on plans to open European civil airspace to unmanned drones by 2016. This follows the signing by President Obama earlier this year of the FAA Appropriations bill which mandated that US airspace must be opened to drones by 2015. The European Commission (EC) plan was revealed in a Staff Working Paper published on September... 

China claims restrictions on solar panels exports would hurt the global clean energy sector after the EU Commission launched a probe into suspected dumping by Chinese panel makers. ­The investigation by the Commission was triggered by a group of 25 European solar companies in Germany, Italy and other EU countries, which filed the biggest anti-dumping claim. The group, led by Germany’s SolarWorld,... 

Jobless Greeks line up outside an unemployment bureau in Athens Unemployment rate in crisis-struck Greece hit an all-time high of 23.1 percent in May as the country struggles through a fifth year in recession, says the national statistics agency. New data, released by Elstat on Thursday, showed that 1.15 million people were out of work in Greece, compared with 3.82 million, who had jobs. The jobless... 

The Irish Medical Times reveals that 70% of adults in the fluoridated Republic are above the medically-safe daily fluoride intake and this is directly due to drinking water being fluoridated. In the UK which is largely un-fluoridated, a sizeable proportion of adults are also above safe levels. Only in February 2012 the European Commission again warned that the very youngest are at greatest risk with... 

A euro coin with the Spanish national flag in the background. The European Commission says Spain is on top of the list of the eurozone 12 critical economies as new reports show investors flee Spain amid the deepening financial crisis. Affected by Greece’s economic woes, the Commission on Wednesday listed Spain and Cyprus as two European states in “very serious” trouble. “Spain faces... 

A self-made euro sign is attached to the tip of a christmas tree in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. European Commission has predicted that the eurozone currency bloc faces a deeper recession than previously anticipated, with a 0.3 percent contraction in its GDP now tipped for 2012. The commission previous forecast in November said the economic output... 

The EU has suspended the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and referred the text to the European Court of Justice to investigate possible rights breaches. The European Commission decided on Wednesday to ask the EU’s top court “to clarify that the ACTA agreement and its implementation must be fully compatible with freedom of expression and freedom of the internet.” The... 

Unemployment in the European Union states has reached a record-high level of 9.8 percent, a new report says. A quarterly report released by the European Commission shows that unemployment has reached a historically high level across Europe. The report, issued on Tuesday, says 9.8 percent of all formerly-employed Europeans are currently jobless, with unemployment having steadily escalated since last... 

Georgian riot police officers disperse opposition rally in Tbilisi late on May 25, 2011. Moscow has blasted authorities in Tbilisi for dispersing a protest rally and urged the international community to investigate the events in Georgia. The Russian Foreign Ministry described the actions of the Georgian law enforcement agencies as “a flagrant violation of human rights,” including the right of assembly... 

Top of the EU's list to cut climate change emissions is a target of 'zero' for the number of petrol and diesel-driven cars and lorries in the EU's future cities. The European Commission on Monday unveiled a “single European transport area” aimed at enforcing “a profound shift in transport patterns for passengers” by 2050. The plan also envisages an end to cheap...