cafebabel.com

Ties and tees: three innovative fashion initiatives from Ljubljana, Lille and Berlin

cafebabel.com — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:00:00 -0000

Between 20 - 22 January, the historic Berlin-Tempelhof airport compound served as the venue of Bread and Butter, the most prominent trade fair for urban and streetwear, for the second year in a row. We pick tie manufacturers, T-shirt street fashion and an eco-sports label as top of the crop

Cafebabel.com searching for youth reporters on the ground for journalism trip to Budapest

Katharina Kloss — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:24:53 -0000

The two faces of Zsolt Nagy

valerio caruso — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:52:31 -0000

Bibliothèque Pascal triumphs at Hungarian Film Week

valerio caruso — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:50:01 -0000

Göteborg’s Dragon Award to Denmark’s R

valerio caruso — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:47:20 -0000

Fancy a degree from the university of Disney?

Tim Mac an Airchinnigh — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:44:19 -0000

How about a stroll down Disney Boulevard, shopping in Disney outlet malls and finishing off with a cappuccino on Disney Square? Hell, you can even get your tonsils out in Disney hospital. The Magic Kingdom is building an empire of kitsch just 30 minutes from Paris, and for thousands of jobless Europeans it smells like opportunity

Uncommon first names: 'Europa'

Sarah Turpin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0000

As the launch of a new online database exploring the origins of strange surnames is announced in the UK, we think of the Scarletts, Nikes and Solidarities in this EU world

Grand Archives: ‘In five years time we’ll probably be bartenders again’

theroxbox — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:00:00 -0000

Mat, Jeff, Curtis and Thomas are four friends from Seattle, four musicians from a small city. They’re not easily recognisable - you won’t have seen their faces in magazines or billboards. They don’t seem like typical indie rock stars; ‘nor do we don’t want to,’ says frontman Mat Brooke. We catch the group on their European tour leg in the Spanish capital

Relationships under the microscope in Budapest

valerio caruso — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:22:18 -0000

Adolescents follow their hearts in Rotterdam

valerio caruso — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:20:23 -0000

EU press react: Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's new president

euro topics — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:08:31 -0000

Five years after he was deposed by the Orange Revolution, the opposition leader won Ukraine's presidential elections on 7 February, narrowly edging out prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a runoff vote. The Swiss, Czech, Polish and Portuguese press bemoan the rise to power of a politician who is widely regarded as pro-Russian, but believes that Ukraine has now finally proven that it is truly democratic

Fabrega’s Cold Water of the Sea among Tiger winners

valerio caruso — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:38:06 -0000

Pizza Napoletana in the Official Journal

Babel Sofia — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:40:41 -0000

Sometimes reading the Official Journal of the European Union has its benefits. Today we have the Regulation (EU) No 97/2010 entering a name in the register of traditional specialities guaranteed Pizza Napoletana (TSG).

China Brings EU to WTO over Shoes

Babel Sofia — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 08:27:26 -0000

China has complained to the World Trade Organization about anti-dumping duties imposed by the European Union on shoes made in China.

When East met West

Antoaneta Ivanova — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:08:54 -0000

Meet Cafebabel.com’s new community manager

Jean Anot — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 15:15:23 -0000

Romania in spotlight at Mons

valerio caruso — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:42:01 -0000

Agenda 2020: 'France and Germany love each other'

euro topics — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0000

At a meeting of the Franco-German minister council in Paris, French president Nicolas Sarkozy and German chancellor Angela Merkel passed the 'Agenda 2020', which comprises 80 joint projects aimed at bringing the two nations closer together once more. A desirable goal, French, German and Czech commentators say, while also noting that the agenda could offer more

Marc Guerrero: Catalan MEP on Spain, unemployment and van Rompuy

theroxbox — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0000

Youth unemployment has become one of the biggest challenges facing the EU. In Spain the figure has reached 43% amongst those aged 15-26. We discuss this problem and the new era that Europe faces with the youngest ever leader of the European liberal democrats (ELDR)

Commission: Waste Management Agency is Needed

Babel Sofia — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:16:01 -0000

A European Commission study recommends setting up a dedicated European body to oversee the implementation and enforcement of EU waste law.

EU Stays at 20% Reduction Target

Babel Sofia — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:08:10 -0000

The EU and its member states have confirmed their willingness to be associated with the Copenhagen Accord negotiated during the UN climate change conference in December 2009.

Estonia Stuck Between Wage Range Trends and Inequalities

Giovanni Angioni — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:50:51 -0000

According to some data published today by the Estonian Tax and Custom Board, the only wage range that recently registered an increase in number of employees is the one that includes salaries between 3.000 and 5.000 EEK.

‘University mafia’ cut corners in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany and France

Jude Lister — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0000

On 1 February, a new rector was allegedly appointed to the Alexander Dubcek university of Trencin in western Slovakia, after a spate of corruption scandals forced his predecessor to resign. Fake diplomas are nothing new, but these events multiplied across Europe in 2009, with Miss Worlds and prominent politicians standing accused: how can such a reality be explained?

diversamenteoccupati.it goes to San Remo...

Marco Riciputi — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:38:56 -0000

Paris, Krakow: the crop of Europe's pretty urban green

cafebabel.com — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:29:13 -0000

The tallest building in the world, the 828 metre (2716 ft) high Burj Khalifa skyscraper, was unveiled in Dubai at the beginning of January. Nowadays the question is more of building outwards rather than upwards, with four buzzwords - happiness, ecology, smartness and economy - via two city models

Obama 'snubs' Europe

Dave Keating — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:11:35 -0000

Given that this is a blog about EU-US issues, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the sad, sad tears that are being shed today over Barack Obama’s decision to ditch the planned EU-US summit in Madrid in May.

Spain appears to be livid about it, while papers across Europe seem to be responding not in anger but rather in a rather depressed and humiliated shrug. The White House announced yesterday that Obama would not be attending the planned joint summit, which apparently came as quite a shock to its organisers. Apparently EU officials found out about the decision, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, through the news media.

Spain, which currently holds the rotating EU ministerial presidency (not to be confused with the newly-created council presidency), is now saying it will postpone the summit until the president can attend. Holding it without him would be humiliating for Europe and would lack symbolic significance.

FOR A POWERFUL EUROPE

Olivier Védrine — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:11:53 -0000

Social Media in Estonia: the Winner is Orkut!

Giovanni Angioni — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:08:23 -0000

According to a study realized by the Estonian division of GfK Custom Research Baltic the (half) global phenomenon of Facebook did not manage to hit Estonia enough to claim the role of leader in social media since Estonian still prefer to do their e-networking elsewhere.

Crossing borders in Rotterdam

valerio caruso — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:20:33 -0000

EU-US: 'If this was Formula One, Europe would still be working on its motor'

euro topics — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 12:30:00 -0000

US president Barack Obama will not be attending the EU-USA summit planned for May. The official explanation given is that he wishes to devote himself to domestic problems. The German, Belgian and Czech press, however, suspects that he doesn't want to waste time in Europe, which still hasn't found a collective voice

No red carpet for pope in Britain

Dave Keating — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:49:07 -0000

Back in September I wrote about my surprise when, during a visit to Prague, I was prevented from entering Prague Castle because the pope was paying a visit. I wasn't surprised that they weren't letting visitors in during the papal visit, that stands to reason. What seemed curious was the fact that we had been in Prague three days, made the journey all the way up the the castle, and all that time we had no idea the pope was visiting the city. Indeed, there was absolutely no sign of the visit - no banners, no news reports, nothing. People on the street outside the castle seemed to either be unaware or apathetic about it. I suppose that's not surprising in the most atheistic country in Europe. But at the time, I contrasted it to the huge pomp and ceremony that accompanied the pope's visit to Paris while I was living there in the fall of 2009. You couldn't get away from all the fuss during that visit!

When I learned this week that the pope is planning a visit to the UK, another of Europe's most atheistic countries, I wondered how the visit will contrast to the ones I've witnessed in Paris and Prague. I suspect it will be an animal all its own, but disinterest may not be the main reaction from the public. The Czech Republic may be a majority atheist country, but it is still nominally Catholic. So it isn't so unusual or notable that the pope would visit. The UK is very much not a Catholic country. Historically it and Prussia were always the most virulently anti-Catholic states in Europe. Not only does the UK have a protestant state religion (with the Queen as church leader), it is also still technically illegal for an heir to the throne or a government leader to be a Catholic. One of the main holidays here actually celebrates burning Catholic effigies.

From Calais to Rosarno: Europe's 'immigrant jungles'

Jude Lister — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:45:41 -0000

Patras, Athens, Bari, Seville ... a tour of Europe's recent troubled hotspots ends in southern Italy, where 7.2% of the population are illegal immigrants - the EU average is 6.2%

Stefano Ricci exhibition in Bologna: Febbre suina, Gallina evasa

Marco Riciputi — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:45:37 -0000

Kaunas in winter

Daiva Repečkaitė — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:39:37 -0000

Each time I go back to my hometown Kaunas from abroad, I'm warned that I'll find it more dead than ever. Yet with these expectations, I always find it surprisingly alive and bustling. This time, caught in the middle of an exceptionally cold winter, locals have set out to enjoy a windless weekend out. Meanwhile, the Vytautas Magnus University proclaims Kaunas to be the "academic capital of Lithuania".

Cortés’ Buried wows Sundance

valerio caruso — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:39:42 -0000

More highs, fewer lies in Prague - the new Amsterdam?

Andrew Christie — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:00:00 -0000

15 grams of marijuana, five grams of hashish or even 1.5 grams of heroin. Thanks to a new law that came into effect on 1 January 2010, Czechs can stock up on drugs without fear of prosecution. The Czech Republic now has the most liberal drug laws in the whole of Europe, though its preventive measures still leave something to be desired

Locarno honours Alain Tanner

valerio caruso — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:02:16 -0000

Slovak films head north

valerio caruso — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:04 -0000

Annett Louisan: 'I don’t need to go the fake platinum blonde bombshell route anymore'

Lindsey Evans — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0000

The breathy German chanson singer hasn’t only changed hair colour over the years - she seems to have done a bit of growing up as well. We catch the 31-year-old entertaining the Franco-German relations ambassador and performing live in Paris for the first time

Youngsters in the spotlights at Rotterdam

valerio caruso — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:58:08 -0000

Flare network, mapping Europe's mafia connections

Giacomo Rosso — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 11:44:46 -0000

Founded at the European parliament in June 2008, the anti-organised crime network want to rejig European laws and describe how EU money regenerates mafia-seized property. Interview with communications officer Roxana Smil

Strong German presence at Göteborg

valerio caruso — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:22:50 -0000

Premiers Plans crowns Eastern Plays and La Pivellina

valerio caruso — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:43:32 -0000

Bellocchio’s Vincere wins over Bari critics and audiences

valerio caruso — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 09:21:07 -0000

Once upon a pizza

Alexandra Baxter — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:15:45 -0000

On 4 February, the EU paid homage to Neapolitan pizza by designating its trademark status. Yet when we eat a margherita, does it mean we're also paying homage to the three colours of the Italian flag? Behind this round piece of bread and staple in European diets lies the story of kings, queens and Italy

Eucrisis on the ground : youth reporters in Paris

Jane Mery — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:42:23 -0000

Music in February: The Rumour Said Fire, Corinne Bailey Rae and Jaga Jazzist

endi — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:00:14 -0000

A new British neo-soul album, an old favourite from Denmark's Simon and Garfunkel and five top tracks spanning London via Brooklyn and Oslo - a selection of Europe's music tips of the month

Italy's mamma's boys

alison — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:00:00 -0000

If you're Italian, have been sleeping in the same bed for over the last 20 years and aren't running the risk of moving out of your childhood bedroom, chances are you've been diagnosed 'bamboccione'

Accommodation for Zero Euros

Antoaneta Ivanova — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:52:38 -0000

Does anyone have more sources?

Daiva Repečkaitė — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 19:19:30 -0000