cafebabel.com

Paris: living cheaply in an expensive city

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:00:00 -0000

The crisis is an opportunity of redeeming a more democratic economy, capable not only of satisfying the individual, but especially the community. Young people in Paris are finding solutions based on reciprocity and co-operation

Anderlecht, Molenbeek, Schaarbeek: spot the crime in Brussels

('Thimi Samarxhiu',) — 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?

'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

Sofia's directors and playwrights boom despite barebone budgets

('Darren Thompson',) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:57:13 -0000

In Bulgaria there are no cultural policy programmes and the crisis has consumed the ministry coffers. Filmmakers like Kamen Kalev, playwrights and other creative minds demand government transparency and methods to support their enterprising spirit. Part one of a five part 'EU crisis on the ground' city series

Startups, ethics and the crisis: focus on young people in Turin

('Elaine Jordan',) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:33:30 -0000

After the crisis months of unemployment, training and scholarship schemes, some Italian youngsters decide to swap 'instability' for life as an entrepreneur. Examples from the industrial city of Turin

Keeping Turin's Fiat factory in the family: post-industrial Italy

("naomi o'leary",) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 10:22:13 -0000

Turin is emerging from the 110-year reign of the Fiat monarchy, and it’s discovering a cultural soul it never knew it had. A very Italian look at globalisation

M**Bun, Eataly, GROM: the organic flavour in Turin

('sara mojtehedzadeh',) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:00:00 -0000

Eating well can save the environment, economy, and local heritage, according to the Slow Food Movement, an international non-profit culinary educational organisation which was founded in 1989 by the Italian writer Carlo Petrini. Its appetising premise is to combat the acculturating effects of corporate America & co. through the affirmation of local, fresh, organic food. Its phrased in its manifesto as ‘the right to pleasure’, and in Turin, it’s a right that’s being energetically exercised

FrauTV, Emma: women top the media tower in Cologne

('Lindsey Evans',) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0000

Over a third of German national TV programmes are produced in Cologne. Alongside the eight channels based on the banks of the Rhine, in ‘media city’, are the offices of the young, resolutely feminist FrauTV and the militant magazine Emma

The world in an Eau de Cologne bottle

('Darren Thompson',) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0000

It’s no lucky mistake; Eau de Cologne, or Cologne, world renowned for centuries, has benefitted from the ideal geographical location of the city that has given the perfume its name. At the heart of Europe, Cologne is putting the finishing touches to its strategy to form international links

'Institutionalising' extremism in Cologne's Pro Köln movement

('rhiannon_nicolson',) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:19:39 -0000

The mosque currently in construction will be able to hold the 120, 000 muslims who live in the west German city. Consequently, the ‘Pro Cologne’ movement is rapidly losing its electoral base in the next municipal elections in mid-September. First in a series of five reports in our 'Europe on the ground' mission, which sent five EU journalists to Koeln

Brussels: a city of life-long interns

('rhiannon_nicolson',) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:26:52 -0000

We meet young foreigners in a capital full of multinationals, institutions and the need for multilingual interns

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

‘Vovis' versus ‘gorrillas’: tackling precarity in Seville

('Kate Stansfield',) — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:23:00 -0000

They’ll find you parking spots for a little loose change. This form of begging in disguise allows the poorest members of society to make themselves a few hundred euros a month. Despite its large-scale growth in the Andalusian capital, the phenomenon is becoming a headache for the authorities

What the fridge is EU debate on the ground?

('Neil Saddington',) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:00:00 -0000

For a year from October 2008, the monthly initiative brings together one cafebabel.com editor with three reporters and one photojournalist from across the network to spend four days reporting in a European city

Czech Republic: EU equals protectionism equals communism?

('Lydia Bigos',) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:39:02 -0000

With different visions of the market, politics and the EU, this is a country which is torn between its new role as the centre of Europe and the rejection of any type of communism

Prague: Barack Obama and the giant sleeping radar missile bid

('Catherine Neilan',) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:44:34 -0000

Some construed the president’s 5 April visit to Prague as a promising sign for the future US-Czech relationship. Barack Obama spent a full day - out of a total of eight - in his first visit to Europe since his inauguration on 20 January. Then-prime minster Mirek Topolanek hailed ‘the European speech of the year’ in advance; but others in the capital disagreed

Michelin manufacturing ‘malady’: is recession causing flat tyres in France?

('teodora kostadinova',) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:43:22 -0000

‘The Auvergne region is what it is because of Michelin,’ everybody assures you in Clermont Ferrand, home to Europe’s main and the world’s second largest rubber tyre manufacturer. With shares down by 4.62% in January 2009 amidst global falling demand, we feel the presence of the big giant in the small city

Education: Bologna process, sales time in French universities

('rhiannon_nicolson',) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:05:41 -0000

France is infuriated. The resentment felt towards the Bologna process, aggravated by the repercussions of the economic crisis, has driven students to go on a general strike as a demonstration of their 'anti-privatisation' feelings. They fear that their future is going 'at reduced prices'. We test the water in Clermont Ferrand

HandiCAP: freedom-hunting French farmers, as European as Parisians

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:57:25 -0000

Young farmers in the region of Auvergne worry about their future, which is being over-organised by a too liberal Europe. They want to give vent to their anger at the upcoming European elections in June 2009

Clermont-Ferrand – where are the right-wing?

('Laura Eid',) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:51:12 -0000

How and why has the French city been obstinately socialist for 60 years? We look at its challenge for the 21st century

Bronze Soldier and Russian minority in Tallinn: ‘it’s complicated’

('Filip Jurzyk',) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 13:02:26 -0000

In April 2007 the soviet statue was uprooted from Tallinn’s city centre. It angered the Russian-speaking minority, a third of the population. Have lessons been learnt one and a half years on? Investigation

Estonians feel recession, but there's a euro at the end of the tunnel

('Susannah Readett-Bayley',) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0000

‘We have been too optimistic’ - a gentle landing was predicted for Estonia’s 2011 entry into the Eurozone, but the economy is entering turbulent times following its exponential growth. Interview macro-economic expert in Tallinn

Photos: 111 000 Russians in Estonia

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Beyond the historic gates of the old town, around the commercial centres, behind the motorways - the Russian-speaking minority mill on with life in the district of Lasnamaï in Tallinn. Photo feature

Animated Dreams in Tallinn: film articulates art and the market

('Matthew Pagett',) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:00:00 -0000

While the older generation of illustrators, working from former soviet studios, export their art thanks to public financing, the younger ones attempt to reconcile artistic creation and getting paid. The local festival kicked off on 19 November

Youth in Estonia: no country for student activists

('Helen Swain',) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0000

Talking politics to Estonians is more likely to make the temperature drop than the Baltic chill, whilst Europe is remote from students' daily concerns

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

Matonge district: heart of darkness

('Francesca Reinhardt',) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:05:23 -0000

Marked by the imposing office high-rises of the European Union, the institutional centre of Brussels symbolises the power of European civilisation. Beside it, the African quarter of Matongé follows life in a completely different rhythm

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

Photos: Brussels accommodates EU buildings

('David Tett',) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:35:47 -0000

Europe’s lobbies: Brussels comes second to Washington

('Annika Thornton',) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:18:32 -0000

The image of the lobbyist is a part of the Brussels political landscape. These groups work in the spotlight, but also have a consulting role in the legislative process. Is this mature democracy or a skills deficit in Europe?

Teddy Tour in Berlin

('Andrew Burgess',) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:37:51 -0000

Clearly Berlin has a soft spot for the bear, the symbol of the city. After the Knut-mania surrounding the polar bear at the city’s zoo, teddy bears now have their own tour operator to visit the German capital. Seriously…

‘Media Spree’ on Berlin’s river: swim next to offices

('Olia Yatskewich',) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:00:00 -0000

Access to a part of the river Spree was blocked by the Berlin Wall for almost half a century. Today, twenty years after its deconstruction, capitalists plan to block it again

Flamenco – Andalusia’s jazz

('Sarah Gray',) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:00:00 -0000

Flamenco is on a roll. Shows tour all over Europe and hundreds of people travel to Seville in the hope of establishing themselves as professional dancers. But on the dance floor, the native Andalusians are holding onto their tradition and are reticent to share their heritage with outsiders.

Seville will have its mosque back

('Mary Maistrello',) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:45:00 -0000

By 2010, the new mosque in the Cartuja 93 district will be completed. Seen by the administration as a “constitutional duty”, but for others as a “non-Sevillian” project , its construction is sure to provoke heated debate.

Biking is trendy, politics is not in green Budapest

('Akli Hadid',) — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:00:00 -0000

Resistance groups may be fighting pollution in Budapest, but there’s a long way to go from holding bicycle protests to creating a political impact. How can ecological thinking blossom in the Hungarian capital?

Hating on Hungarian Tescos

('Kate Hollinshead',) — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:00:00 -0000

Whilst shopping malls spring up like mushrooms, more and more shops in the city centre stand empty. Where does the course lie between tradition and modernity in Budapest?

Photos: metro culture in Budapest

('Pedro Pic\xc3\xb3n',) — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:00:00 -0000

You can’t evade the underground in everyday life in Budapest, which has the second oldest metro system in Europe after London

‘Buda-sex’ and the Hungarian porn industry

('Akli Hadid',) — Tue, 27 May 2008 15:00:00 -0000

Budapest is famous for being one of the world’s sex capitals. Pornography, sex toursim and prostitution converge in the Hungarian capital, to the delight of some and the frowns of others

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?

Drinking trademark Budweiser beer in Bohemia

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Czech beer came to the world’s attention again in April after a century-old dispute with the US over the naming rights to its Budweiser beer was settled in a Luxembourg court

European School in Strasbourg

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

The first European school in the Alsatian capital opens in September 2008. Concerns arise that it will undermine the international sections of existing schools and how it will relate to the EU

The language of the republic is French

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Alsace and Moselle’s bilingualism has just weathered a political storm. From now on, electoral documents will have to be written only in French. Yet, the German language has opened a window of opportunity in Europe. Debate

A European senate in Strasbourg?

('Sarah Gray',) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Controversy surrounding the European parliament’s use of two seats (Brussels and Strasbourg) has given new life to the debate on federalism. There are good reasons for the parliament to remain permanently in Brussels, and plenty of other options for the capital of Alsace

Strasbourg is bikes

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

With the inauguration of the TGV to Strasbourg, the city is staking its claim for modernity and the environment. The bicycle rules in this city that wants to overtake Fribourg as model of sustainable growth

Remember, the Council of Europe is not part of the EU

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0000

The Strasbourg-based organisation defends human rights in Europe and needs to combat its dwindling visibility

Pristina: a capital looking for capitals

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0000

With a district extension of 572 km² and an uncertain population estimate of half a million, Prishtina is the most populated city of Kosovo and its administrative, political, economic and cultural centre

Loving dictator Salazar

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

General De Gaulle in France, Churchill in the UK. The Portuguese have voted the founder and leader of the authoritarian regime the 'greatest ever figure in Portuguese history'

Who are Lisbon's contemporary artists?

('Sophie Paterson',) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0000

Who’s selling? Who’s buying? Who’s organising? Run-down of the unjustified creative pessimism in the Portuguese capital, from Culturgest, ZDB and

Jeta Xharra: ‘Kosovo's status is not a solution to everything’

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 12:00:00 -0000

Playwright, journalist and Kosovo's answer to Jeremy Paxman - the ‘pushy, irritating’ TV presenter as she describes herself, 29, exposes local politicians in a society she vouches is 'fed-up'

Kosovo elections: waiting for a prime minister

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:00:00 -0000

'With our victory today begins the new century.' Pro-independence opposition leader Hashim Thaçi won 17 November elections, but you won't find details in Kosovar newspapers yet - the people await a final result on 3 December