In a precursor to Copenhagen, U.S. thought-leaders got together to examine the global energy outlook, climate change and U.S. policy on sustainable energy supplies. Makes interesting reading…

South Korea is developing Busan as a world-class city specializing in digital content, with the latest ICON2009 hosted there by Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency (BIPA). Gamers, animation industry, other digital content and CG people from 15 countries were all there.

The Copenhagen show is about to start, and for some uplifting specifics on what may be possible, as well as the broader challenges, take a look at some of the European Union leadership regarding climate change responses.

The European Commission underlines the crucial importance of reaching a global, ambitious and comprehensive climate agreement at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen on 7-18 December.

Home-based businesses provide an opportunity for a better lifestyle for parents and childrens, and more shared time, according to Polaris Media Group.

Wind farms are spreading throughout Europe, as a form of renewable energy. The latest project in Belgium, is currently the largest and potentially most efficient, and supported by the E.U. At 198m high, with a rotor of 127 m – taller than mid size office blocks – this turbine stands out!

The much-debated Treaty of Lisbon enters into force today, promising inherently European citizenship, cross-European democracy, direct petitioning by citizens and creating greater European integration across borders, among other claims. The E.U. is move closer to ’super-nation’ status.

The non-payment risk rate for online merchants in Europe has fallen to the lowest level in 7 years, to just above one quarter of one percent, in some cases superior to bricks and mortar transactions. These and other useful findings are summarised from the Deutsche Bank e-Commerce report.

Diversification of products and accessing offshore markets are two key needs for Indian start-ups. That’s a key message from “Envisioning the Wired SME” conference, organized by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and IndiaMART.com, at the Sheraton, Saket, in New Delhi on Saturday.

Frost & Sullivan will be revealing its top African investment opportunities for 2010 in an online analyst briefing on Thursday, 3 December. The briefing will provide insight into the industries that Frost & Sullivan projects will offer the highest returns on investment in the coming year. The markets covered will be telecommunications, business process outsourcing, renewable energy, biofuels, mining and desalination.

New mobile phone technologies like social network MXit enable banking and currency alternatives for transactions, potentially useful in African nations without full support for banking infrastructure nation-wide.

Could manufacturing abuses caused by the need for ever-cheaper products be a partial catalyst for a reversion to local manufacturing? According to China Labor Watch’s latest investigation of five Wal-Mart supplier factories reveals not a single factory has implemented Wal-Mart’s basic standards, and with wages at rates as low as $0.44/hour, questions about the desperate need for change have to be asked.

Nice Ride Minnesota, is an initiative to spread bike-riding throughout the state, and the Twin Cities. Other cold-climate cities in Europe such as Copenhagen have pioneered these bike-riding schemes, and they are now spreading throughout the U.S.A.

The Bread for the World Institute “Hunger 2010: A Just and Sustainable Recovery” Report has been released, and identifies the need to reduce poverty and hunger as a key to long-term recovery and leadership. The report identifies the current U.S. economic crisis as an opportunity for change…

Are high house prices good or bad for innovation? It seems the RBA are saying house asset inflation is good for Australia, perhaps mainly based around housing stock shortages. Our Executive Director, Christopher Hire, takes a look at property prices impact on innovation, and how they may prevent tomorrow’s employers – today’s start-ups – emerging.

SAP have invested in a Internet of Services community, launched at the announced at the EU Future Internet Assembly, being held in Stockholm, Sweden right now. Where SAP goes, corporations follow…

Boeing has started construction on a second final assembly site for the long-awaited 787 Dreamliner airplane in Charleston, South Carolina. The 787, like the Airbus A380, is a significant aeronautic innovation.

Whilst some of the conclusions of this article are UK-centric, in general, credit card companies are facing trying times and an underlying paradigm shift. Opening the way for new innovations in finance…

A multi-lateral initiative directed by the River Blindness Program of The Carter Center to reduce river blindness in the Americas has delivered improved lives in the six endemic countries of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela.

Smart Grids are fast become the buzzword – and a source of rivers of green gold in funding – as cities de-carbonize the electricity grid, and create efficiencies through monitoring and adjusting the supply. CURRENT Grid is one of the smart grid leaders, and was highly ranked in this VentureBeat contest.