cafebabel.com

Inner-city immigrant-city Athens: look Greek, look lively

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:39:48 -0000

A crisis can exacerbate a ‘them versus us’ feeling, especially with elections on the cards. Half a million undocumented immigrants* makes Greece one of the three European countries (alongside Spain and Italy) to be the first point of welcome for asylum seekers. Far right parties milk the 'foreigners-out' cow, whilst a general mood of mistrust reins

Iran, Europe, nuclear energy: one year after Fukushima

('Alice Jones',) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:52:57 -0000

Having rocked the whole of Europe, the Fukushima atomic disaster sparked widespread reassessments concerning the future of nuclear energy in Germany and France. Whilst a generally safer Europe finds itself divided over Iran and its acquisition of nuclear weapons, the murder of an Iranian scientist served to fuel an already explosive debate

Istanbul 'sex bus': student beaten for defending couple speaks

('Aleksandra Sygiel',) — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:49:00 -0000

On 17 April a young Turkish couple were asked to leave a city bus because the driver considered their kissing and hand-holding as too obscene. Events worsened: whilst arguing with the driver at the stop in Taksim Square stop in the couple's defence, fellow passenger and politics student Gökçe Koç, 28, was assaulted by a stranger getting on the bus. We meet via facebook where Koç started a protest group, Seks Otobüsü (‘Sex Bus Number…’): 34 TN 1992 25T

Caviar: the most expensive food in the world

('Helen Swain',) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 12:44:47 -0000

When Louis XV spat those viscous fish eggs which Peter the Great had offered him back into the face of the Russian Tsar, the French king did not know that he was turning down a delicacy which was soon to become the most expensive and coveted food in the world. Plus, recipe

Berlin film festival 2011 winner goes to Iran: Asghar Farhadi's Nader and Simin, a Separation

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:50:57 -0000

In 2009 the Iranian director scooped a Silver Bear for best director for About Elly. This year's competition entry 'Jodaeiye Nader az Simin' was a clear frontrunner for the 2011 Golden Bear award, beating twenty-one other films in competition. Review

Obituary: Irish academic Fred Halliday dies in Barcelona

('Metsa Rahimi',) — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:09:43 -0000

The Dubliner passed away on 26 April. No student in east-west relations would have escaped the work of this internationally acclaimed scholar in international relations, unabashed European socialist and eternal friend of the Middle East. Tribute from an Iranian Londoner who met the Irish scholar in Spain

Almost 50 journalists behind bars: 'all young Iranians are potential journalists'

('Jude Lister',) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0000

On 11 February 2010, both opponents and supporters of Ahmadinejad were in the streets to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. We speak to the Iranian lawyer and 2003 nobel peace prize laureate Shirin Ebadi

Iran's colourful presidentials: Facebook, fights and first wives

('Metsa Rahimi',) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:00:37 -0000

A week earlier, the EU campaigned to mobilise voters for the European parliamentary elections. Opposition candidates know that a similar effort may be their only chance of beating the incumbent in the Iranian presidentials. Iran's campaign officially rounds up as former PM, military chief and mullah go up against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on 12 June. Overview

Western states boycott UN anti-racism conference in Geneva

('euro topics',) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:51:59 -0000

Durban II began on 20 April with a boycott. For fear of an anti-Israel mood and anti-semitic incidents the US, Israel and other states including Italy, Germany and the Netherlands have cancelled their attendance at the so-called Durban II conference. Press reactions from Switzerland, Germany, Italy and Belgium

Subculture: sexes, hairdos and jeans in Iran

('Andrew Christie',) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0000

1 April is Islamic Republic Day, a national holiday in Iran. Thirty years after the Islamic revolution, an unpopular government is once again struggling with a dissatisfied young population. However, the Iranian resistance against its own regime has no strategy behind it, only tactics. A portrait of the mood in the land of the red squares

Bush's 'very dangerous' Iran one of Obama's 'biggest challenges'

('Kourosh Ziabari',) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 10:32:36 -0000

Bush and Obama's comments came ahead of Iran's official 'wait and see' statement on 15 January. Cynics boast that the president-elect has not enough authority to fulfill his promise of unconditional talks because of the traditional pattern of politics in US. As 'day one' approaches on 20 January, a young Iranian blogger paints the wider Iran-US picture

Cinema: Persepolis hits the UK

('Jens Wiesner',) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Released on 25 April in an English-dubbed version, a review of Franco-Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi's Oscar-nominated animation of a girl displaced in Vienna

An Oscar for Geert Wilders please

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:31:00 -0000

'Fitna' the film means evil, European parliament has a fake birthday and ousted gay Iranians - it's your latest news from Brussels

Finland: Europe's newest nuclear plant

('Angela Steen',) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:00:00 -0000

'I never get an answer when I ask Iran what they plan to do with the enriched uranium they produce,' EU foreign chief Javier Solana said on 30 January. While the Iranian president waits for the west, we take a Nordic diversion

Republican return to the White House in 2009?

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

After seven years of waiting for an end to the Bush presidency, Europeans should not wait indefinitely in hope of redefining US interests

Why the EU aims to liberalise postal services

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Plus answers to the question 'how much do you get charged for making a bank transfer?' and more in our weekly newsbites from Brussels

Czech and Polish missile shields as military targets?

Wed, 23 May 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Missile shields in Poland and the Czech Republic are military targets, according to Russia: if it cannot control its own airspace, Europe could become a global battleground

Iranian conservatives: 'Unnecessary provocation'

('Sarah Turpin',) — Tue, 22 May 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The atmosphere from within Iran is increasingly hostile - president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s nuclear ambitions don't help

Missiles in East Europe – for or against the EU?

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Plans to build US missile sites force Europeans to reconsider their position

Iran: Security Council deadline looms

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 12:00:00 -0000

February 21 is the United Nations deadline for Resolution 1737 for Iran to stop its uranium-enrichment programme

Marjane Satrapi: 'the Iraq war was about nothing but oil'

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0000

We spoke to the Iranian graphic novelist, 37, in January, after she shot to fame with her black-and-white comic book ‘Persepolis’. It's currently hitting movie screens in its animated French version

Newsha Tavakolian, Iran's inside story

('Kate Stansfield',) — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 17:48:00 -0000

At the inauguration of Perpignan's 19th festival ‘Visa pour l'image’, the Iranian photojournalist focuses on the situation of women in the Middle East