cafebabel.com

Arab spring in Morocco: royalists recognise indigenous language

('Lorna Slane',) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:49:52 -0000

Large-scale protests, like those seen on 20 February 2011, continue to be a familiar sight in Morocco. We talk to young Moroccans whose demands follow in the footsteps of the Arab spring – democracy, freedom, social justice – albeit with a royalist twist

Dario Ivkovic: 'people don’t seem interested in roots of Balkan music'

('Ili Pusk\xc3\xa1s',) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:06:49 -0000

Best-known as a member of both the German touring group Shantel & The Bucovina Club Orkestar and French band Les Yeux Noirs, the Serbian accordionist is an electrifying personality onstage. We talk music legends, Balkan beats and why 'girls like guitarists better'

Are you confiscating my ipod? EU citizens against ‘Acta’ treaty

('Matthieu Amar\xc3\xa9',) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:27:06 -0000

A proposed worldwide ‘anti-counterfeiting trade agreement’ (ACTA) would impose a legal framework on online intellectual property rights. The term 'internet' is not even mentioned once in the entire treaty, infuriating European citizens who fear for their freedoms and about censorship

Salami strategy: the art of ‘wullfing’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:21:39 -0000

With its Hungarian origins, this sausage of a saying provides European inspiration to help the German head of state Christian Wulff worm his way out of the current corruption scandal

German medical students head for Latvian university

('Sebastian Baciu',) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:00:16 -0000

Just under half of the 500 foreign medical students currently enrolled at Riga’s Stradina University come from Germany – but a medical education in a foreign country doesn’t come cheap

Dinner for one in 2012

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:32:23 -0000

The Brits have spent the end of year in a 'lull' whilst the Germans are going through 'new year's fatigue'. In their new year's addresses at least, Europe's Franco-German leaders warned us it won't be getting any better this new year

Pesetas, liras, franks and drachmas: euro is living on borrowed time

('Marta Nathansohn',) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:00:00 -0000

Multiple defaults, a return to the lira, pesetas and francs, the break-up of the monetary union and Europe comes crashing down. Sounds like an endless chain of unreal events? Perhaps not: the end of the common currency is no longer a taboo for European press and economists

Europe's new 'Germanophobia': Who's afraid of big bad Germany?

('JamesBliss',) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:27:42 -0000

Tones of anger against German chancellor Angela Merkel's lack of action over the eurocrisis and a 'Germanophied' Europe, are getting louder and more intense

Twins who row – more East Germany than The Social Network in ‘Westwind’

('Amy Hargreaves',) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:33:23 -0000

The German 'new wave' theatre director and filmmaker, 37, broaches the history of a divided Germany by moving away from cliches and concentrating on the importance of interpersonal relationships in his third feature film. Released on 19 November, it is based on a true story and set in Hungary in 1988

Sexist grammar: the French and German cases

('Sarah Fisher',) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:37:50 -0000

Poor adjectives need take their husband's name no more. Sort of. Whilst one French association has attacked a centuries-old 'oversight', the Germans (or at least their moderate feminists) have taken plural forms to task. In all, the debate succeeds in desexualising our common language

Buy Nuremberg gingerbread online

('Andrew Christie',) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:00:00 -0000

On the first weekend of Advent, Nuremberg’s own version of Father Christmas opened the annual Nuremberg Christmas market, recognised across Europe as a must for all gingerbread fiends

Big city life: Europe’s pigeons

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:45:00 -0000

Doves and pigeons are one and the same except that the former got the 'symbol of peace' gig and the latter became the grey critters affectionately known as ‘rats with wings’. Whence the flight of fancy?

GPS: taking directions from a woman

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:31:01 -0000

Most satellite navigation devices predominantly use female voices – and German BMW drivers can’t cope with them. Is this sexism or science fiction?

‘Why can’t German men flirt?’ - a German man answers

('Cari19',) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:47:41 -0000

A few days ago I came across an article online by a young British girl who describes her experiences with men in Germany. I often stumble across articles from women who claim Germany to be a developing nation with respect to flirting. Yet why is this the case and where are all the emancipated women?

Documentary Italy: love it or leave it in a Fiat 500

('Eva Vanhee',) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:00:00 -0000

When the lease on their flat in Rome was up, film critic Luca Ragazzi convinced television journalist Gustav Hofer to spend a last six months touring their country and understand why they were moving abroad. Little did they know that those were the six months that changed Italy

Susanne Graf: 'Those who remember the GDR know what it means to be observed constantly'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:45:00 -0000

Berlin’s September elections made her the youngest MP in the parliament at 19, the only woman in her fraction - and a ‘pirate’. We talk data protection, mistakes in politics and why a quota for women in the pirate party wouldn’t make any difference

French cartoonist on German neo-nazi terror

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:55:38 -0000

Germany has been stunned by the news of three suspects in a secret terror cell in Zwickau which literally got away with murder over the last decade. Is it news well received over the border in France, where Marine Le Pen, head of the national front party well-known for fraternising with neo-nazis itself, is a candidate for 2012 elections?

Spain, country in a (property) bubble

('ckb',) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 16:38:45 -0000

Dearest European neighbours: I am sorry to inform you that the crisis in Spain does not have anything to do with the crisis in your countries. Our case is not simply rooted in 'structural problems', as it were, but literally in cement

Meeting Mario Monti, interim Italian prime minister

('Tobias Sauer',) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:45:42 -0000

On 13 November the independent candidate, known as the president of Italian university Bocconi, officially succeeded Silvio Berlusconi in the middle of a deep debt crisis. Ave Mario, cries French newspaper Le Monde. Super Mario, scream spoof websites. We meet at a press conference in Berlin

Searching for my German great-grandfather in Siberia

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:39:24 -0000

In summer 2010 my grandfather and I travelled to Rubtsovsk to find his father’s grave' he had died there as a prisoner of war in 1945. Far from civilisation, Rubtsovsk is a town of around 160, 000 inhabitants on the Russian-Kazakh border in southwest Siberia. My grandfather had been hoping to find his father’s burial place for over 65 years

Europe reacts: what Gaddafi’s expiration means

('Matthieu Amar\xc3\xa9',) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:58:29 -0000

On 20 October the world saw a mediatised repeat of bloody images and videos of Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein on their deathbeds: Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, 69, was killed in his hometown of Sirte. French, US and British forces were part of the Nato airstrikes in the Libyan civil war which began in February 2011. Read presidential and prime ministerial postcards from Poland, Malta, Italy, France and Germany after the news broke

The rise of divorce parties in Europe

('Isabella',) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:15:00 -0000

Inspired by a trend from the United States, an increasing number of companies and services are being established in the UK, France and Germany. Amongst the European Union member states, divorce was not possible until 1970 in Italy, 1981 in Spain 1995 in Ireland and, most recently, 2011 in Malta

Question of the week: getting through the euro-crisis - united or apart?

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:19:45 -0000

The euro has drifted off course and there is no land in sight. How will we emerge from the crisis: united or everyone out for themselves? We ask who rules Europe: one united superstate, or nations ruled by self-interest? Four young Europeans start the debate: join in at cafebabel.co.uk/europaplus

Feminist France: ‘mademoiselle’ vs 'madame'

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:20:43 -0000

Is it discriminatory that women have to tick whether they are a ‘mademoiselle’ (unmarried) or a ‘madame’ (married) on administrative forms, whilst men can just put a tick next to ‘monsieur’? The feminist association Osez le feminisme says YES, and calls on women to claim their right to be ‘madame’

Poland-Germany exhibition in Berlin: let the neighbours talk

('Annie Rutherford',) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:55:07 -0000

The exhibition ‘Good Neighbours? German Motifs in Polish Contemporary Art/ Polish Motifs In German Contemporary Art’ is showing at the Bethanien art gallery in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district until late October. The works on display reflect the quality of the German-Polish relationship today

'Cafe Fix' and social workers on Frankfurt’s drug streets

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:00:00 -0000

In the shadows of the skyscrapers of Frankfurt’s banks, the area around the main train station sees the highest concentration of drug abuse and prostitution. But some people are trying to make a difference by helping and listening rather than judging

German, Dutch and Finnish reactions on Greece insolvency

('euro topics',) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:30:13 -0000

After the discussion about allowing Greece to go bankrupt was reignited in Germany, share prices and the the euro exchange rate dropped on 12 September. While some commentators see the discussion as sheer populism that could have catastrophic repercussions, others say insolvency and a euro exit for Greece are well worth considering

German writer Hatto Fischer on Greece 'madness' and 'European debts’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:28:33 -0000

The Bavarian-born philosopher and co-founder of the NGO Poiein Kai Prattein (‘create and do’), which launched in Athens in 2003, explains why Europeans have thought that the Greeks were mad, and how we can learn from their current fiscal tragedy

Yvonne the cow, Germany's summer Joan of Arc

('Bibi',) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:00:00 -0000

After closely escaping her fate at the slaughterhouse, Yvonne heroically wandered through the Bavarian countryside for 98 days. Caught on 2 September, the smart, headstrong animal was destined to be burned at the ‘stake’ like a certain famous maid of Orleans – until an animal sanctuary bought her for 600 euros

German tourists in Scotland: Scotch malt at airport and haggis for breakfast

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:32:23 -0000

German holiday-makers come to Scotland for a variety of reasons: for a sip (or several) of the water of life, to trace the steps of history in crumbling, misty castles – or simply because the flights to Iceland were too expensive. Whatever their reasons, a German's visit to Caledonia is often shaped by a few key food and drink experiences. Musings of a Scottish tour guide

Germans ban ‘I Like’ facebook button, Spanish want to ‘Dislike’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:04:43 -0000

The north German state Schleswig Holstein has announced that it is banning facebook’s famous ‘I like’ button, with websites which haven’t removed it before the end of September facing fines of up to 50, 000 euros (44,000 pounds). Whilst Germany and the UK have raised more general concerns, the Spanish were there first

Sila Sahin, Turkish-German actress and first 'muslim playboy model'

('Lyndsey Smith',) — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:14:25 -0000

In May 2011 the 25-year-old posed on the cover of German Playboy, becoming the 'first muslim’ to pose nude for a glossy magazine. Her 'act of liberation’, as the tabloids called it, sparked religious outrage and divided the Turkish community from Berlin to Istanbul. Yet was it just a marketing coup, or even a daring act of integration? Interview

Eurozone: Greece’s junk in Europe’s trunk

('Louis',) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 18:11:19 -0000

Were there no single currency, a resolution may be more tricky for a country like Greece. The European union holds an 'extraordinary summit' on finding a solution to this financial crisis on 21 July; a second bailout package is under negotiation

Student duelling clubs in Europe: no Harry Potter magic in Germany

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:03:54 -0000

In mid-June the Alte Breslauer duelling club in Bonn petitioned its national umbrella organisation to stipulate German descent as a criterium for accepting the currently 1, 300 students into these legendary student societies. In June, a society in Mannheim allowed a German of Chinese descent to join. The case drags the just over 100 German duelling clubs, which are accused of harbouring extreme right-wing ideologies, into a negative rather than magical light

Five gay friendly neighbourhoods in Europe

('ljubica10',) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 18:00:31 -0000

As the spectacular gay prides flourish across Europe, cafebabel.com local teams from Paris, Ljubljana, Berlin, Budapest and Athens blog about the scenes across Europe

Street integration test: German Youtube hit Tedros Teclebrhan

('hkeet',) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0000

He hasn’t hit his wife for more than two months now, has never heard of the fall of a certain wall and thinks the chancellor before ‘Angelo Merte’ was Hitler... Within two weeks, the video of the man with the blond mustache became a German web hit. Over 5.5 million people have already clicked on it the promotional video, thinking the actor was a real migrant and thus not noticing the mirror being held up to German integration policy

Space cucumbers in battle against E. coli

('Tansy Larsen',) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:00:00 -0000

While European scientists still haven’t managed to identify the exact source of the E. coli epidemic that has struck Germany, a Japanese astronaut has decided to rise to the challenge. Taking off on the morning of 8 June, Satoshi Furukawa, a crew member of the latest mission to the International Space Station (ISS), intends to grow space cucumbers

Meeting 4 of 500, 000 'Almanci' German Turks who returned 'home' over last 30 years

('hkeet',) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:00:00 -0000

After growing up in Germany these men have chosen to turn their backs on their native country to return to their homeland, Turkey. In Istanbul the 'Almanci' as they are called - with slightly negative connotations - are Hasan, Cengiz, Hazar and Cigdem. They tell us the story of their return to the banks of the Istanbul Strait

Germany to remove all 17 nuclear plants (or 23% of power) by 2022: a pro-European move?

('euro topics',) — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:19:35 -0000

On 29 May the German liberal-conservative government agreed on a complete nuclear phase-out. This trendsetting move will boost innovation and the German economy, write some commentators, while others express concern about Europe's power supplies

Ethnic slurs: Polacks and roast beef versus frogs and krauts

('Laura',) — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:00:00 -0000

Europeans call each other the most unfriendly pet names in the trend of the phenomenon of ‘etnopaulism’, which refers to those disparaging vocabularies used when talking about other people. Word dilemmas of the week

Best and worst of Eurovision 2011

('Dave Keating',) — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:18:04 -0000

It's a year of astonishing comebacks, pleas to stop climate change and, most intriguing of all, France's entry singing entirely in a language other than French. The famed song contest is held between 10 - 14 May in Duesseldorf, Germany. We've put ourselves through the best of Europe out of the 43 participants - especially for you

Laszlo Tengelyi: the problem of being a philosopher in Hungary

('Emilie Prattico',) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:22:08 -0000

On 8 January Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban launched an investigation into the use of grant money awarded to five philosophers. Questions to a Hungarian-born philosopher who spearheaded an international petition, 'Protect the Philosophers!' from Germany, where he is based

German minority Poland: April census due

('hkeet',) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 11:56:17 -0000

There has been an official German minority group in Upper Silesia, Poland for two decades, since the fall of the 'real-socialist' system, which had viewed national minorities as dangerous. Although the relationship between majority and minority groups is not yet free of conflict - Polish opposition leader attacked Silesian identity on 2 April - both sides are more used to each other

Book review Germany: 'degree Facebook internship' generation

('Carol Howard',) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:52:31 -0000

Generation X became generation Y and the ‘internship generation’ is a recurring topic. However, whichever letters or titles are selected for it, no one can really get a hold on us. Can we really all be lumped together, technically-speaking, in terms of a generation? German writers Manuel J. Hartung and Cosima Schmitt asked themselves this question in a 2010 book analysing the difficult future of a generation with no name

BBC poll 'everybody loves Germany': a German reacts

('hkeet',) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:39:49 -0000

Every year, the British public service broadcaster asks a representative sample of citizens from all corners of the globe which of the 16 largest nations has a positive influence on the world. 2011's answer was the same as the previous few years: of 29, 000 people from 27 different countries, 62% voted for Germany followed by Britain and Australia, with Iran, North Korea and Pakistan lagging behind

Berlin citizen power: GreenLeaks, Stuttgart 21 and water privatisation

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:08:22 -0000

One of Europe's most politicised and strictly environmentally-ruled cities is home to a green-themed Wikileaks spin-off, run by an Australian documentary maker. The mood for disclosure is also celebrated in the annual film festival, which has incorporated the city's first successful referendum into its programme

From Libya via Japan: Germany still opts for nuclear energy

('Sarah Marshall',) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:10:00 -0000

In the midst of a revolutionary wave across the oil countries, some European leaders propose increasing the production of nuclear energy to limit their dependency on oil and to guarantee a stable energy supply at competitive prices. Over in Germany, Angela Merkel has ordered safety checks on 17 of the 144 reactors running in the EU, after the Japanese earthquake of March saw two nuclear plant blasts. What nuclear future does Germany have?

Green dancefloors Berlin: spread the eco-dance germ to Europe

('Molmash',) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:00:00 -0000

When it comes to ‘green’ music, you will have heard of the WATT club in Rotterdam with its Sustainable Dance Floor. But apart from that symbolic rather than effective initiative, saving energy in clubs and festivals remains a wasteland ripe for development. A few pioneers in Berlin are determined to crack that apple

Guerrilla gardening Berlin: fighting capitalism

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 06:00:00 -0000

Are they squatters? Ecologists? Do they fire flowers instead of bullets? Do they wear masks and secretly plant seeds? A tour around Berlin’s squares and avenues to get to grips with a popular initiative designed to cultivate organic culture in our cities

Discrimination in Germany? Well go to Korea then

('Carol Howard',) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:03:37 -0000

Germany has long been legendary as an immigrant’s paradise. For several years now, more people have been leaving the country than are actually entering it. Among them are some of the most highly educated young Germans who are turning their backs on the country because of discrimination