cafebabel.com

Devouring Sigrid Verbert, a Belgian food blogger in Italy

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:45:00 -0000

It's not just scrumptious cuisine and pretty photos in a book. Its pages won't just dunk you into Italy, Belgium or Germany, but inside Europe good and proper. Just as gastronomic traditions mix and merge, 'il Cavoletto di Bruxelles' constructs tastier realities

The Experimental Tropic Blues Band: 'We started in the playground and haven't stopped since'

('Hayley',) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:56:46 -0000

With the support of the independent music collective 'JauneOrange', the TETBB trio has been an explosive part of the Walloon rock scene for over a decade. Between a barge in Paris, recording in New York and a joint, the 'best Belgian rock band of all time' explain the then and now

Ireland’s ‘accidental emigrants’

('Gary Finnegan',) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:34:33 -0000

While thousands of young people are fleeing Ireland as the depression deepens, others who planned to return are stranded overseas. One writer tells of how the doors 'closed behind him' after moving to Brussels and Beijing

Paul Lewis: call him ‘special projects editor’

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:05:22 -0000

At The Guardian, the award-winning British-Spanish journalist, 30, handles investigative news in an innovative method via social networks and micro-blogging sites – it even helped him crack stories about two murders. Interview

University initiation rites debate hits France and Belgium

('Amy Hargreaves',) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:36:06 -0000

In the UK at least three people had died by 2008 because of initiation ceremonies for undergraduates, whilst recent incidents in France and Belgium featuring physical abuse and comas have helped raise awareness about a dangerous student ritual

Eurozone summit: perspectives on economic crisis

('Brussels Blogger',) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:05:03 -0000

We have heard these words so often that they have lost all meaning: global crisis, market failure, bank recapitalisation. Tonight once again, European governments will be searching for a way to minimise the crisis. Yet even if grounded in good faith, these decisions could simply stimulate current problems and protests

European hip hop between Brussels, Amsterdam, Hanover and London

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:00:00 -0000

The opening of the 2011 Lezarts urban dance festival at Brussels’ centre of fine arts (Bozar) in mid-February was more relaxed and accessible than usual. We meet choreographers, b-boys and the folks at the European laboratory of hip hop dance

Belgian singer Selah Sue, no Amy Winehouse

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:45:00 -0000

She’s a singer with American, even Jamaican soul, but Sanne Putseys is also just like any other young angel-faced Belgian girl, despite her groove sisterhood

cafebabel.com blogs: Brussels base for European geek girls

('Brussels Blogger',) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:12:26 -0000

They are lobbyists, consultants, functionaires, geeks of every age and industry who work in the European bubble. They buzz around the same bubble but never meet. When they do, the meeting is not an occasion for small talk, but for networking

Belgium crisis: world record if government not formed by 30 March

('Kath Davey',) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:45:00 -0000

Belgium is set to steal this title from the current record holder, Iraq, on 30 March - and what a record to beat! It’s an achievement that the country could very well do without, all the more so since politicians from the southern region of Wallonia and their northern counterparts from Flanders do not fall short when it comes to achieving bizarre records

English, British or European? My grandparents on UK in the EU

('Richard Vale',) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:11:36 -0000

According to the Eurobarometer survey of autumn 2009, only 30% of UK citizens believe that our membership of the EU is 'a good thing'. Whilst this meagre piece of one of Eurobarometer’s many brightly-coloured and informative pies is up two points from the last survey, the fact remains that Joe Public fails to engage with the mysterious, supranational, sovereignty-gobbling entity that resides somewhere beyond the Channel

Stromae: 'Role model? Me? At 25 you shut your mouth and listen'

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:10:49 -0000

He picked up the Belgian Hit Of The Year award for ‘Alors On Danse’, but the skinny singer insists he wants to move forward from his chart-topping eurodance hit - which conquered most of Europe in 2010 – as well as move out of his mother’s house. Interview

Global entrepreneurs at Brussels green summit

('Alexandra Belopolsky',) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 13:14:02 -0000

Three years ago the Greek-Dane Nike Kondakis found a used parachute lying on the ground and decided it would make great material for a dress. Now, at the age of 28, she is the owner of her own small fashion company making used-parachute couture and dead-wood jewellery in Kenya

Being green in Brussels: beyond plastic bags

('Ja\xc5\xa1a Pipan',) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:32:42 -0000

If you live in Brussels, some people will shout at you if you put a blue bag in the street on a white bag day. Coming to a supermarket carrying a plastic bag can earn you some nasty looks too. From the EU capital we chat to two young people working in environmental roles

Three muslims in Brussels: (almost) ordinary citizens

('Nettah',) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:15:00 -0000

Being Belgian and muslim poses no particular problem for Omar, Younes and Mourad. They don't wear the burqa, which is banned in Belgium, yet are often turned away from bars. In the EU capital, tolerance and rejection go hand-in-hand

Expats dating abroad? That's Brussels for you

('Claire Davenport',) — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:06:48 -0000

Why in Brussels do my friends of every nationality land themselves in the most bizarrely complicated relationships? Do all men here just want sex? One woman on why fellow expats can't do steady relationships

Ghinzu: bad boys of Belgian rock

('Hayley',) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:00:00 -0000

'The more it cuts, the sharper it gets. Ghinzu ? Already counting three 'rock-noise' albums to their name, completely carried away when live and relaxed in interviews, the slogan for the knife is as far as possible from describing how these five partners-in-crime attack the European stage. Interview with John Stargasm and Jean Montevideo, sharper than ever

Racism and discrimination for Brussels migrant workers

('Monica Mircescu',) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 11:00:00 -0000

In the region of Brussels-Capital, discrimination in recruitment practices is a daily reality. At a time of economic stagnation, ethnic diversity is no longer a priority for businesses, which in turn makes integration in Belgium harder still

'Bart de Wever's willingness to nominate Elio Di Rupo for Belgian PM seems a trap'

('Jude Lister',) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:15:00 -0000

Vincent Laborderie, a researcher at the Catholic University of Leuven (UCL), bakes some humble pie for the alarmists with his portrait of post-crisis Belgium

Belgium elections: rise of radical Flemish nationalist party, N-VA

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:51:47 -0000

13 June 2010 marks just under twenty years since Belgians went to the polls for an early election. Belgians have voted six times in the last seven years: surrealism? Maybe. The last years resemble one long-winded election campaign, during which not one party made the smallest concession

Herman Van Rompuy: One Hundred Days

('Andrew Burgess',) — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:45:00 -0000

It’s been 100 days that Herman Van Rompuy has embodied the European Union, which is currently stuck between a slow economic recovery and the stormy negotiations over the financial aid for struggling Greece. Before an audience of members of the Belgian European movement, the country’s former prime minister recalls his daily duties in a role that is very much ‘work in progress’

Alexander De Who? The man who brought down the Belgian government

('Andrew Burgess',) — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:34:38 -0000

The leader of the Flemish liberal Open VLD party's sudden exit from the coalition government on 22 April 2010 led to the current Belgian crisis; the country still has no government. Portrait of Alexander De Croo on the Brussels babelblog

Belgian band Absynthe Minded: 'we’re not playboys'

('Alison Frank',) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 10:45:00 -0000

Since 2002, the acclaimed jazz rockers from Ghent have flirted with an indescribable style. As the Belgian five's tour stops in Paris to celebrate their fourth disc in eight years, we meet to talk about their passion for quality music, platinum albums and the women in their lives

Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Schaarbeek: spot the crime in Brussels

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:21:47 -0000

Petty crime and unemployment rates (17.6%) are high in inner city Brussels, which registers a low violent crime rate in Europe. Nevertheless, police arrested 12 Belgian Albanians linked to a crime gang on 15 February*, whilst certain districts remain dangerous. Is this down to the crisis?

Brussels: young, gifted and going nowhere fast

('Nicola Potter',) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:00:00 -0000

They’re over-qualified, multilingual and come from every corner of the European Union. They moved to the Belgian capital to find an internship or job. A short report from the heart of this bustling microcosm

'Les Petits Riens': social enterprise in Brussels

('Sarah Pybus',) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:22:01 -0000

In times of crisis, is it time to go second hand? In Brussels, the shop run by 'The Little Nothings' organisation is just the ticket. As well as offering cheap furniture, books and household appliances, it gives the homeless another chance

Gaëtan Tarantino: ‘graffiti artists are normal people, not hooligans’

('Alison Frank',) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0000

He escaped prison and fines, sleeps and breathes graffiti and his NGO holds Brussels’ annual graffiti event: how the 32-year-old from Marseille, who once worked in air-conditioning, cheers up gloomy Belgian neighbourhoods with art that emerges from concrete

Europe's 'unword' of 2009

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:45:55 -0000

Free movement of French and Dutch foreign veterinary, medical students in Belgium

('Tam\xc3\xa1s K\xc3\xa9ry',) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:59:13 -0000

A huge amount of foreigners study two of Europe’s seven officially regulated subjects in Belgium, but its foreign student population of 6.3%, the seventh highest in Europe in 2006, is not heterogenous. Insight

Portuguese Barroso: this is your man for Europe, again!

('euro topics',) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:17:12 -0000

On 16 September, the European parliament voted José Manuel Barroso in for a second term as European commission president, with 382 votes for, 219 against and 117 abstentions. Barroso promised to advocate social policies, but the Portuguese, Belgian, French and Polish press was sceptical

London, Paris, Ghent, Transylvania: cross Europe by bike

('Helen Swain',) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:45:00 -0000

An Italian government eco-initiative offering big discounts on bicycles, a London cafe where you can repair your bike and bike film festivals across the continent - an overview of two-wheeled fun to spin your summer

A traveller reads up on the history of nationalism

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:08:00 -0000

'A sudden wave of satisfaction envelops J. He recognises his happiness to have been born this millennium in a peaceful Europe'. This short story, set in a Brussels train station, was runner-up of the 2009 German Youthreporter award, ‘Verliebt in Europa’ (‘In Love With Europe’)

Languages: Dutch amidst French in bilingual Brussels

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 17:27:21 -0000

On the footpaths of Brussels your ears catch a litany of languages. In this European city, the official status of the bilingualism can be seen everywhere, especially in job advertisements. Is this a question of identity or discrimination in recruitment?

Brussels crisis: be creative, become an entrepeneur

('Sarah Pybus',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0000

The crisis is confronting young entrepreneurs in Brussels. Whilst some have excellent qualifications, those who don’t have a battle on their hands

Brussels: did you know that 20% of EU workers work at night?

('Darren Thompson',) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:39:02 -0000

The sun sets on the EU's epicentre. Thousands of workers leave their offices and an army of night time workers take their place. Many are young, and are unaware of the risks that this kind of work can bring. On the other hand, nights are considered to have a different and lively rhythm than the normal working day. We take to the streets to investigate

EU elections on 7 June in Belgium to contend with crisis and regional elections

('Geoffrey Grandjean',) — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:54:59 -0000

On 7 June there will be two kinds of elections in Belgium: European and regional elections. In December 2008, prime minister Yves Leterme’s resignation ended the political crisis in Belgium. So what's really at stake in this context? Can a European issue emerge among the omnipresent discussions on its future?

62% of Europeans aren't aware of the EU elections taking place

('euro topics',) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:32:38 -0000

Just seven weeks before the European parliament election 62% of voters are not even aware it will take place. According to a Eurobarometer study, only 28% of those elegible to vote intend to cast their ballots. Are Europeans weary of Europe?

Cem Özdemir: ‘The biggest disgrace is when the modern generation walks out on its responsibilities’

('Aatish Pattni',) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:30:00 -0000

He joined the green party at 15, and today the 43-year-old is the first non-German native party chairman. His ethnic background has led to the national press giving him the epithet of ‘the green party’s Obama’, and a Facebook group called ‘Yes, we Cem’

Music: Keane, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra and Katharina Nuttall

('Maham Hashmi',) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Piano rock from the UK, Balkans from Belgium and Blue Monday in Norway – October’s best music picks kick off a European autumn

LinEa babelblog: caricatures in democracy

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:45:00 -0000

A babelblog where satire is a speciality. Italian and Belgian cartoonists

Brussels flea market: bargains abound

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:26:06 -0000

Meet people, get great bargains and put familiar objects which you have grown tired of back into circulation

Brussels, collateral damage in the Belgian conflict

('Matthew Pagett',) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:00 -0000

Neither Flemish nor Walloon, Brussels is the battlefield of choice for the divisive struggle that is plaguing Belgium. Faced with a situation that does not seem to be getting any better, some residents of Brussels have decided to form a new political party. We meet one of them

EU reporting bad Belgian news

('jonathan mellor',) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:49:12 -0000

Belgian national media is not impressed by the European coverage of political crisis. The presence of the European institutions, it believes, is impeding its autonomy

If Belgium became the new Czechoslovakia

('Roman Moravcik',) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:21:58 -0000

Are the Flemish and Walloons against a split like the Slovaks and Czechs were in 1992? Would it be down to politicians to decide a split? Economic repercussions, language problems and sports ratings – a Slovak perspective on how a country dissolves

Political stalemate in Belgium

('Ed Saunders',) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:00:00 -0000

After Belgian king Albert II rejected the prime minister’s offer of resignation on 17 July, Yves Leterme will have to find new ways to guide Belgium through its identity crisis. The latest news from the EU in Brussels

Berlusconi's back

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Add a dose of alcohol abuse and hail Europe’s volunteers and globalisation - it’s your latest news from Brussels

April fools on Belgian TV

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Flemish only on the telephone, the US and the EU fight it out over growth hormones and unhappy times for EU lobbyists - your latest news from Brussels

Esplanade of L'Europe in Brussels: more rubbish than town planning

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

A space without appeal next to Brussels South railway station is far from what we expect from the capital of Europe

Hunger strike for illegal immigrants in Belgium

('Sarah Gray',) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:29:00 -0000

162 protestors have came to a provisional deal with the government - but they haven't eaten for 50 days

An Pierlé: 'Downloads kill the industry'

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The Dutch compared her to Tori Amos. In fact, the 33-year-old Belgian connoisseur of ‘kitsch’ French songs and pop is a theatrical musician who plays the piano sat on a big transparent ball, jumping about whilst tightly clutching her accordion