|
Our European correspondents give us the lowdown on what’s happening in their cities
You mess with the traditions of football fans at your peril. So when Newcastle United dropped the theme tune from the movie Local Hero, which for years has played at St James’s Park, fans were up in arms. A campaign for the song’s return was launched, backed by Dire Straits’ frontman and former Newcastle resident Mark Knopfler. Well, he did write the song!”
The mayor of Madrid is currently locked into an acrimonious battle with ex-Miss World and figurehead of the Thyssen art museum, Carmen Cervera, aka Baroness Thyssen. The problem? How to remodel the busy Paseo del Prado that runs by the art gallery without cutting down any of the trees and bringing the traffic too close to the museum.”
In a victory for common sense. The state of North Rhein-Westphalia is introducing a smoking ban from the 1st
January 2008. But many Germans are more addicted than most, so it’ll be interesting to see how it can be enforced…”
How many free newspapers can a city cope with? The recent launch of yet another means there are now five every day. The local authorities have had enough. The Federal Association for Municipalities is considering forcing publishers to pay a two-centime tax per copy to pay for cleaning them up.”
Cyclists are forming associations and staging police-escorted excursions all in the name of a healthier, safer and less traffic-jammed lifestyle, backed by the city’s Mayor. The bravado of these bikers is a big step for Sofia’s citizens and everyone’s eager to see what happens next.”
Although smoking in public places was banned in Italy from 2005 with heavy fines for offenders, several bars in the Navigli area have started a new trend offering smoking rooms for people fed up of huddling outside in winter. How do they get round the law? Well, smoking is fine as long as you install a ventilation system the size of a small van to comply with the legislation. Most places don’t, because it costs a packet…”
|
Newcastle / Michelle Ord
Madrid / Simon Hunter
Dortmund / Marc Toolan
Sofia / Andrea Enright
