Telecommunications and the Information and Knowledge Society (Telecomunicaciones y Sociedad de la Información y el Conocimiento) is the name of this seminar backed by the fundación abertis under the scientific coordination of the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UCIIIM). The sessions take place on 28 and 29 March at the University’s Leganés Campus and their goal is to offer different perspectives (technical, social, legal, economic and business) on the role and impact of telecommunications in today’s society. For this reason, the seminar is targeted at students of and professionals in this field.

In 2005 there were 400 people killed and 204 seriously injured in traffic accidents on interurban roads, in Catalonia alone (Catalan traffic service figures). In Spain as a whole, these figures reached 3,329 deaths and 1,506 serious injuries. Until recently, experts attributed these tragedies to technical and structural problems, but there is an increasing tendency to point to the human factor as the main cause of accidents.

Heritage should be sustainable, accessible and profitable for it to play an invigorating role in a territory. This was stated in the conclusions of the 5th Session on Sustainable Management of Heritage, promoted by the abertis foundation, which took place today in the Teatro Real in Madrid. Jordi Juan Tresserras, coordinator of the Cultural Management Programme of the University of Barcelona, has been the scientific director of this session, which has had the participation of Luis Lafuente Batanero, sub-director general of Protection of Heritage of the Ministry of Culture as well as a number of national and international experts.

-Avoiding distractions and perception errors and punishing of offenders, the keys to reducing road accident rates.

-Additionally, calls are made to control advertising and to encourage a change in the “cult of speed” culture.

aumar, the abertis corporation motorway operator, has donated a specialised vehicle to the Association Madre Coraje for its vegetable oil recycling programme. The handover ceremony took place this midday in a shopping centre in Jerez de la Frontera. The van –the Jerez NGDO’s first new vehicle– will collect used vegetable oil (from frying pans, deep fryers and tins of preserves) which the public leaves in special containers spread throughout the city. Once cleaned and recycled, the oil will be used to make biodiesel and bars of soap to be sent to underprivileged communities in Peru.