cafebabel.com

Madagascar, Haiti, Congo: what European development days show

('Laura',) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:10:00 -0000

Where do the millions of euros that are sent from European homes to the four corners of the earth through development programs actually go? The ‘It’s our money; it’s their future’ project sees several young Europeans, accompanied by a Belgian film crew, travelling to five countries to observe the work of NGOs in order to find out

Sea Shepherd: tuna fish pirates hiding in a stretch of sea near you

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:30:00 -0000

The American conservation society are preparing a ‘No Compromise’ campaign against illegal whale fishing in the Antarctic. Now the ecological pirates are back to fight against tuna fish hunters in the Mediterannean

Catherine Ashton, Ashford or Ashley?

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Never mind that she went to earthquake-stricken Haiti six weeks late, or that she missed a ministerial conference, or that she's not David Miliband, or that she can't speak French. Let's begin with the fact that some struggle to remember even the name of the first ever EU foreign policy chief. Maybe it's the title 'baroness' which throws everyone

'Eco hippies' on carbon-neutral weekend in the Vosges, France

('Lindsey Evans',) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:00:00 -0000

Four months on from the Copenhagen summit, the failure of a global climate change policy hasn't crushed or reinvigorated the motivation of environmental activists. In the Vosges region of France, Elise's carbon-neutral weekends indicate that changing our way of life may be key to saving the planet

Europe makes 2010 its year for fighting poverty and social exclusion

('Alison Frank',) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:15:00 -0000

When the 'Lisbon strategy' was launched in March 2000, EU member state leaders said that they wanted to take decisive steps towards eliminating poverty. Ten years later, during the worst economic crisis since 1929, the EU has named 2010 its year for fighting poverty and social exclusion. It’s about time, too

Renewable energy: Europe's economic and mythological reign

("naomi o'leary",) — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:44:11 -0000

In January 2009, the interruption of natural gas supplies to 18 European countries due to a spat between Russia and the Ukraine was a chilly wakeup call to the reality of energy dependence. Energy historians and directors explain more

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

EBRD in the red, but for the right reasons

('Andrew Burgess',) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:22:47 -0000

Despite reporting historic losses, the European bank for reconstruction and development (EBRD) is to increase its aid to eastern countries. Latest titbit of news from Brussels

Doha, Qatar: the north-south solidarity harvest in India

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 17:14:12 -0000

From 29 November to 2 December, UN member states discuss development aid in these times of financial crisis. There is also a crisis in international solidarity: in India, a quarter of a million live in poverty

Radar station for US anti-missile defence on Czech soil?

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0000

But it hadn’t banked on such a large opposition from two thirds of the population and such an angry reaction from its future neighbours. A return to the cold war?

Exploiting unpaid interns: rites of passage?

('c\xc3\xa9dric AUDINOT',) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Associations like Generation Precarity or Fairwork expose an exploited flexible labour force with intermittent incomes and no job security

Mujahideen Khan: 'we do not know who the Taliban is right now'

('Kadri Kukk',) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Afghanistan remains a huge challenge for NATO. Whilst officials met in the Bucharest's Parliament Palace from 2-4 April, a group of Estonian journalists cast an eye back with a mujahideen in the Afghan mountains

Batman, goats and internet in Cavas do Monte, Portugal

('Martyn Hawkins',) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The living conditions in the north Portuguese mountaintops of S. Pedro do Sul have hardly changed in hundreds of years. Bit by bit, however, the uniting, modernising world is moving in, and the children are moving out

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

Gran Scala – Spain’s new Las Vegas

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:15:00 -0000

Europe’s largest construction project is an amusement park in Los Monegros. It is in competition with Expo Zaragoza 2008, whose main focus is on raising awareness of sustainable water development

Didier Awadi: 'Artists too often have big egos'

('Kate Stansfield',) — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0000

The Senegalese hip hop pioneer, 38, invites his fellow rappers to speak out and campaign for a harmonious continent with his latest album 'Presidents of Africa'. Plus an exclusive video interview from Dakar

Estonian economy: between crash landing and Baltic summer

('Kate Martin',) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 12:00:00 -0000

11% growth, 4.5% unemployment and a lot of liberalism: how the Baltic Tiger catches investors. Inflation means the euro won't be in place before 2012

Risk factor 'boomtown'

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0000

Liberal reforms over the past decade have catapulted Estonia into one of the fastest-growing market economies of the European Union. But can the Baltic tiger keep up on the social agenda?

Albania - El Dorado for tour operators

('Kate Martin',) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Insular for a long time, Albania has not always been a prime destination for travel agents. The current tourist craze for the Adriatic could benefit this little country on the Yugoslav peninsula

Built on Benzene

('Ed Saunders',) — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 12:00:00 -0000

The city of Budapest wants to build a science park on the site of the former Óbuda gasworks

David Calleo: 'free trade is the last great religion of the West'

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 12:00:00 -0000

On the eve of the global Davos Economic Forum, North American intellectual David Calleo describes his vision of the role Europe plays in globalisation

'Fair trade? It's not charity – it’s an alternative’

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:00:00 -0000

The economic movement has really taken off in the European Union. Gaga Pignatelli, representative for International Association of Alternative Trade Italy, explains why

Europe in 2007

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 12:00:00 -0000

What is in store for new year's Europe? We look at the upcoming leaders, movers and shakers who will transform the face of the EU in 2007

Venezuela, an outlandish democracy

Fri, 01 Dec 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Hugo Chávez is favorite to win Venezuela's presidential elections on December 3 - prime assessment for a controversial and reformed democracy

Meeting Middle Eastern challenges

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Water shortages and technological underdevelopment are ruffling feathers in Arab countries. The Euro-Arab Conference on Environment, from November 27 - 29 in Kuwait, tries to smooth them out

„We are not experiencing a „new 1956””

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 02:00:00 -0000

Fifty years after the revolution against Stalinism, Hungarians face a most serious democratic crisis.

Brussels, a soft capital

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 06:45:00 -0000

Francophone and Flemish, North African and Eurocrat… The European Capital mirrors the contradictions and cultural diversity of Europe

Romania rife with low-level corruption

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 02:00:00 -0000

The European Commission wants to integrate Romania into the EU on 1 January 2007 – if the country can keep its corruption under control. A feature from Siebenbürgen.

Eastern property boom excludes the young

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 02:00:00 -0000

The wave of home acquisitions is pushing property prices up in Eastern Europe. Young people find it difficult to buy their first home

Hungarian crisis: far-right stages PM’s death

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 12:00:00 -0000

On Kossuth square, far-right protesters and opposition supporters gather to demand PM Ferenc Gyurcsány’s resignation. Almost a week after his lies were leaked to the press, the crisis is still unresolved

Poor education levels spur reading programmes in Spain

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 02:00:00 -0000

In Andalusia, a new school year has just begun. Town councils strive to introduce and fund more innovative efforts to promote reading

Spain: Between bombs and calls for freedom

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 16:25:00 -0000

192 deaths and thousands of injuries was a harsh wake up call for Spain. On March 11, the country started their fight against Jihadist terrorism

Escalating threats and anti-terrorist measures

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 02:00:00 -0000

In response to escalating violence and fear, Europe has equipped itself with a real arsenal to counter threats

Europe - USA: back to french fries

Mon, 11 Sep 2006 02:00:00 -0000

Though support for Europe’s soft power grows in American liberal bastions, the military EU institutions still lack credibility in the US

Walking naked into a mosque: nationalism in Kosovo

Fri, 08 Sep 2006 12:00:00 -0000

What is kosovar national identity? Migjen Kelmendi, editor of the weekly Java, opens the debate with a recently published book Who is Kosovar?

From siege to silver screen

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 11:22:00 -0000

The 12th Sarajevo Film Festival, which ended on August 26, featured a packed programme of challenging films, revealing the remarkable

renaissance of filmmaking in the Balkans.

Europe meets Asia: reviving the Silk Road

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 14:00:00 -0000

As trade flourishes between the EU and Asia and regional integration accelerates, the Asian highway opens new routes to the East

ASEAN and the EU: singing from different hymnals

Tue, 05 Sep 2006 02:00:00 -0000

As regional integration accelerates in Asia, ASEAN might one day resemble the former EEC. I talked to Ludo Cuyvers, professor of economics at the University of Antwerp, who says such comparisons are premature.

Lux Voor: the changing face of politics

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:00:00 -0000

Neither coalition nor legal organisation, the ‘Lux Voor’ movement, founded in March 2006, radically questions contemporary Dutch politics. We take a look at this flourishing network

Alternative lifestyles: 'I came to Amsterdam to live in a squat'

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:00:00 -0000

In the 1980s, a political movement of squatters changed the face of the Dutch capital. Today, young apolitical Eastern Europeans are joining the squatter movement

Purchase power beats flower power on canals

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 02:00:00 -0000

Once a favourite of the flower power generation, living on a canal boat has become a privilege for the young and affluent. Today modern houseboats are not longer dingy eccentric dwellings for the marginal, but fully equipped modern pads

Montenegro goes on sale

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 12:00:00 -0000

For years the unspoiled beauty of Montenegro used to be the best kept secret in Europe. Now the sights of old Venetian squares, spectacular mountains, bays, sandy beaches are once more a favourite destination for globe-trotters around the world

Jesus Christ, king of burgers

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 07:08:00 -0000

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, July de 2006.

With estranged eyes

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 02:00:00 -0000

Midzyzdroje, Polish-German border, summer 2006

Membership brinkmanship in the Balkans

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 12:37:00 -0000

For years we promised to accept the Balkan states’ bid to enter the EU. As politicians slow down the integration process, the region is further destabilised

The state in Africa

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 02:00:00 -0000

Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, a researcher at the Centre for African studies in Paris, speaks about corruption in subsaharan Africa and a state imported from Europe

A vote for a piece of soap

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 02:00:00 -0000

In the interior of the humid Congo basin, amid corruption and endemic poverty, the preparations for the elections on the 30 July were a huge challenge

War, peace and a ballot box

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 02:00:00 -0000

The Congolese people voted for a president and parliament in the first democratic elections in the country for decades. In a country ravaged by conflict, the election process faced some tough challenges

Europe and the Middle East: brothers in arms

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 12:00:00 -0000

Though European governments have been quick to criticize the escalation of violence in the Middle-East, the EU still sells weapons to Israel and Lebanon. Europe needs to strengthen its arms trade Code of Conduct

Why Europe should dare to be dull

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 11:00:00 -0000

Over a year after the French and Dutch referenda said no to the constitution, commentators continue to talk about a ‘crisis.’ Yet the European project is alive and well. Andrew Moravcsik tells us why