cafebabel.com

Isak Gerson, founder of kopimist church: 'File-sharing' is not 'stealing'

('Agata Jaskot',) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:30:00 -0000

‘We don’t believe in god at all,’ says Isak Gerson. However, this was no obstacle for the 20-year-old Swedish philosophy student to establish the missionary church of kopimism (from ‘copy + me’) – a church without hierarchy, whose 6000 followers actively encourage internet users to share all kinds of files

Director Roozbeh Behtaji: 'Young Europeans live in an existential no-mans land'

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 11:43:11 -0000

The 30-year-old filmmaker and screenwriter from Gothenburg stands out, not only because he doesn't look like your average Swede, but because he dons a different hat everyday. He played a cap-wearing tourist who becomes a terror suspect because of his looks in his own debut film London Transfer. Time to find out what's under his hat

Why a Norwegian fashion brand calls itself ‘Anti Sweden’

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 13:15:43 -0000

The rebellion is turning Swedish flags upside down and burning Swedish jeans, in a warped recognition of their elevated status in the fashion industry. Creative director Kjetil Wold, 37, co-founded the black jean collection in April 2009 with Kenneth Pedersen, 36 – making sure everyone on the Scandinavian continent knew they were there from the get-go. Interview

Sweden elections 2010: rise of European right

('eurotopics',) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:38:27 -0000

Prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's centre-right coalition won Sweden's elections on 19 September with just under 50%. The success is due to the lack of debate over integration and could cripple the country politically, write the Swedish, Danish and Italian press. Clippings

Swedish royal wedding: boosting neither tourism nor young spirits

('Emilie Prattico',) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:40:49 -0000

Victoria Bernadotte, the 32-year-old heiress to the throne, will wed commoner Daniel Westling, 36, in the capital's cathedral on 19 June. Despite the smorgasbord of fun on display in Stockholm, the widespread feeling amongst Swedes and expats is that the merriment is wasteful and annoying

Fever Ray, Peter Bjorn and John: Swedish music right now

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:28:07 -0000

Famed in the nineties as the capital of pop, Scandinavia doesn’t seem to have exhausted its creative vein just yet. With a legacy of pop artists such as Aqua and Ace of Base, the northern European music scene is opening up to new sounds, experimenting with new technology and ambient tones, whilst never forgetting its musical past

Why Scandinavians do life better

('Sarah Pybus',) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:45:00 -0000

Public spirit, political life, way of life, welfare state...short analysis on why people from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland might be happier with life than the rest of us Europeans

Flexicurity is Scandinavian example for European model

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:11:50 -0000

After its official entry into European institutions, the once obscure term is today more clearly defined. The challenge will be the adaptation of this tried and tested Scandinavian model to other member states

100 years of Europe's nature parks

('Astrid vW',) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:20:04 -0000

In 2009 the first nature parks protected by the European Union will be 100 years old. Cafebabel has spoken with six people linked to these spaces in different European countries. Conservation or development? The debate lives on

Music duo Kim Ki O: ‘the danger of being Turkish’ for Europe

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 08:45:00 -0000

The Swedish pop elite love them, but EU bureaucracy is preventing Ekin Sanac and Berna Göl from breaking Europe. In Istanbul, music is an unstable bridge between east and west. Part two of a special feature

Why Turkish band Kim Ki O can't break Europe

('Clara Bergstr\xc3\xb6m',) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:45:00 -0000

Study in Sweden: an American on Swedish and alcohol for the cold

('Mark Arellano',) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:33:09 -0000

Living in what some of my fellow Americans view as a ‘socialist country’ of moral looseness and liberal idiocy, I can’t begin to stress where they are dead wrong. Sure, everything from the average American viewpoint is going to seem loose and liberal, but it’s not entirely the case. Testimony and tips

Nostalgia: Sweden's top of the pops in the nineties

('Anj',) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Swedish hits had the whole world bopping around from 1989 to 1999 thanks to artists such as Neneh Cherry, her brother Eagle Eye, Ace of Base and The Cardigans: a selection of the best Swedish music videos from the end of the 20th century

Sweden's Cecilia Malmström: 'I'm a politician. It’s not my task to impose an identity on people'

('Pierre-Anthony Canovas',) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0000

The Gothenburg-based politician, 41, has been EU affairs minister since 2006. We talk institutional reform, economic crisis and Turkey in part III of a special edition marking the six-month Swedish presidency of the EU, which began on 1 July

Expressions: why the Spanish ask you not to act like a Swede

('Helen Swain',) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 08:00:00 -0000

The weekly overview of linguistic expressions is devoted to Sweden, who are holding the rotating six-month presidency of the EU, before the baton is handed over to Spain in 2010

Swedish women, the ideal woman?

('Aatish Pattni',) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Tall, dashing, blond hair and a blue-eyed stare. The list of clichés regarding Swedish women is long. Courted by men, envied by other women; how do the women in question live with these stereotypes? Part II in a special edition marking the six-month Swedish presidency of the EU

Swedish Pirate Party MEP Christian Engström: ‘Europe is stronger than the US’

('Waldemar Ingdahl',) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:43:53 -0000

The newly elected pirate MEP, 49, a former computer programmer from Stockholm, talks about the EU-US relationship, eyes turning towards Sweden again and Europe’s second wave of pirate parties. Part I in a special edition marking the six-month Swedish presidency of the EU

Pierre Schellekens: ‘EU is partnership of member states, not rule of the strongest'

('Guy Dammann',) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:23:04 -0000

At 2 metres 09, the 37-year-old cuts an imposing figure. Politically active whilst a student in Gothenburg in the early nineties, he was appointed head of the Swedish EU delegation in February. At home in his apartment in the leafy, quiet area around Stockolm's Odengatan, he talks Sweden’s presidency of the EU, which runs from July to December

Brief guide to gay marriage laws across 'conservative' EU

('Daniel G. Ross',) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:00:00 -0000

Fewer than half (44%) of Europeans are in favour of gay marriage. In April, Sweden enacted a law authorizing same-sex unions. It was only the fifth European country to take steps toward equality between heterosexual and homosexual couples. Despite appearances, when it comes to gay rights Europe is still rather conservative...

Run-up to Swedish EU presidency: Turkey-EU blame game

('Anna Patton',) — Thu, 28 May 2009 17:01:12 -0000

Sweden, one of the most pro-Turkey member states, takes over the EU presidency in July 2009. But this may not be enough to kick-start negotiations for Turkey to enter the EU, which began in October 2005. Is there a common interest? Analysis

Cinema: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo lacks Swedish suspense

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:58:48 -0000

Swedish author Stieg Larsson’s ‘Millennium’ trilogy was a huge international success; to date, 8 million copies of the novels have been sold worldwide. Now the first volume, ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’, has been given the big screen treatment. The film, which is due to be screened at Cannes on 13 May, disappointingly relies too much upon characters from Astrid Lindgren’s novels

Intellectual property, Sweden and the battle of The Pirate Bay

('Waldemar Ingdahl',) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:20:00 -0000

On 16 February, the most publicised trial of the content industry kicked off against the defendants responsible for the Bit Torrent tracker site. Four are charged with being accessories to breaking copyright law. They may face fines or up to two years in prison if found guilty

Turkey-EU: Cyprus, Sweden and elections in 2009

('Michelle Williams',) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:19:35 -0000

Between 19 - 20 January, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Brussels. 2009 could (once again) become a decisive year for relations between Turkey and the EU. Since the opening of negotiations began in 2005 only ten chapters have been opened

Bandy – ice hockey in Sweden goes big in Europe

('Waldemar Ingdahl',) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:15:02 -0000

Played in more than twenty-one countries, bandy is a tale of globalisation, cultures opening up to change and making their distinct mark on the phenomenon before passing it on to the likes of Italy and Hungary. The new season kicks off on 7 November

Nobel prize for literature: Horace Engdahl on 'ignorant' American writing

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:55:47 -0000

The permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy criticises US writing days before the winner is announced, on 9 October

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

Sweden's Lykke Li: heartbreak leads to electro pop

('Ed Saunders',) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:00:00 -0000

Lykke means 'happy' in Norwegian. Li's debut album has led to a European tour, and she’s hyped as one of 2008’s biggest new stars. But chart positions don’t make the 22-year-old singer happy

Åland - å land neither Finnish nor Swedish

('Angela Steen',) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The 26, 000 islanders of this archipelago neighbouring Finland have the power to shape the future of Europe

Young Europeans on love, brothels and Beach Boys in Kosovo

('Pim de Kuijer',) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Despite the lack of vegetables and electricity, or precisely because of it, young Swedes, Dutch and French Europeans enjoy working in this remote, recently independent, spot of Europe

British band The Cure are back

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 03:52:00 -0000

Plus charming French-Finnish duo 'The Duo', a tasty Swedish morsel of Jens Lekman, chic Danes 'The Fashion' and slightly unusual Italians Avvolte Kristheda - the best bands in March

Eco-housing renaissance: put less carbon in the air!

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The ‘built’ environment in the UK, Germany and Sweden are good examples of how our lifestyles have to adapt in a changing world

Mobile phones: Eurotariffs

('Erin Woycik',) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0000

To reduce the prices of calls made or received when you are outside your home country, the EU has approved maximum rates that phone companies cannot exceed

WinterKids, Tchi and Muchy

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0000

English teens, the Swedish Aimee Mann, pure Italian pop and the latest Polish hopefuls on the music scene this winter

Facebook: UK, Norway and Sweden most active

('Andrew Burgess',) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0000

10 million Europeans have their own profiles on booming social exchange websites such as Facebook. The most active European web users have not wasted any time create groups of their own

Mullet

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 17:43:00 -0000

Animal protection: Romania the black sheep

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 03:16:00 -0000

Roberto Bennati, vice-president of the Italian anti-vivisection league, on a new European legislation

You don't wanna miss a thing!

('Natalia Sosin',) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Let's talk about sex, politics, and licking European commissioners on cafebabel.com's newly launched community pages and first multilingual blogging platform