cafebabel.com

'Valencia spring' violence: Spain shock at police protester beatings

('Brigido Galvan',) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:58:00 -0000

There has been huge public outcry in the face of cuts in the education, development and health sectors as well as the freezing of salaries in Spain. In a country where one cannot even protest peacefully, the police made use of their batons to makes sure that teenagers only practiced the 'be seen and not heard' tactic in eastern Spain on 20 February

Depression: ‘alcohol abuse is far more common in eastern and northern Europe’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:01:28 -0000

Is Europe more depressed than it used to be? Professor Frank Jacobi from Berlin’s psychology college (PHB) took part in a European neuropsychopharmacology magazine study from 30 countries, revealing that 38% of Europeans suffer from psychological illnesses. The figure is up from 27% in 2005. Interview

Hungary introduces tax on crisps

('Annie Rutherford',) — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:47:45 -0000

Prime minister Viktor Orban’s government has set itself the task of driving unhealthy eating habits out of Hungary. They are now trying to do this with the help of the so-called crisps tax which came into effect on 1 September

Europe's suicide tourism

('Helen Bowden',) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:45:00 -0000

Al Pacino put a damper on the atmosphere at the 50th Monte-Carlo television festival. In 'You don't know Jack' he interprets a doctor who is convicted several times for his practice of euthanasia. Soon to be released in France, Barry Levinson's film threatens to revive a debate which divides Europe, beginning wih the Netherlands, where the supporters of the 'Out of Free Will' initiative are campaigning for a 'right to die' for everyone over 70

Chomutov, Czech Republic: fighting prostitution with posters

('Kimberly',) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:00:00 -0000

Women wave in short dresses on posters at the main roads, created by Simona Kmonickova, who lives near the red-light district. Cross bones represent sexually transmitted diseases. The border to Sachsen isn’t far; most sex clients come from there, but despite the warning publicity, the problem has localised

Aids: the HIV carrier criminals in Europe

('Hayley Worsley-Carter',) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 12:00:00 -0000

In Scotland and Guyana Mark Devereaux and Alain Prosper respectively get ten years imprisonment. In France another man gets a five-year sentence, spending at least eighteen months behind bars. What do these criminals have in common?

Highest European HIV rate Ukraine: threat of Lavra clinic closure

('Annie Rutherford',) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:00:00 -0000

1.6% of Ukraine's population are infected with HIV, though people ignore or remain silent about the problem. In Kiev one of the most important treatment centres for Aids patients is to be closed - in order to make place for a luxury hotel. The decision gave rise to protests and demonstrations across the country

Polish your smile in Poland: medical tourism in Warsaw

('Sarah Gray',) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:30:00 -0000

Frenchman Fabrice lives and works in Dublin but gets his teeth checked in his partner's home country, Poland. The idea is practical what with the ease of mobility within Europe - but would you be prepared to fly to your dental surgery instead of taking the bus?

'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

Happy tax day, Americans: though Europeans get more for their money

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:27:15 -0000

There is a perception that the poor Europeans are overtaxed serfs. But a closer look reveals that this is a myth that prevents Americans from understanding the vast shortcomings of our own system; 15 April is the day that income tax returns are due in the States

Truth? There's no-one to vote for in 6 May UK elections

('james whyte',) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:13:58 -0000

For the first time in decades, the very real possibility of a hung parliament allows the political landscape to be shaken up in the UK's general election on 6 May. But the opposition leader David Cameron, who launches his election campaign on 13 April, appears windswept, PM Gordon Brown imperious and Nick Clegg just wants to be recognised

Europe vs the US: seven reflections

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:27:17 -0000

It’s been a year since Barack Obama was inaugurated president of the United States on 20 January. But despite his inspiring speeches, he is no Franklin Roosevelt, and even if he were, he needs 60 out of 100 votes in the US Senate to pass anything. Since the end of world war two, a power has emerged with the real potential to carry the world forward

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

NHS, EHIC, mutuel: young expats get to grips with healthcare abroad

('Hayley Worsley-Carter',) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Three expats discuss their healthcare adventures, with or without travel insurance, in Spain, England and the Czech Republic. It makes for useful reading in the times of a swine flu pandemic

Fighting swine flu with garlic in Latvia

('Aatish Pattni',) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0000

Worry about swine flu is gripping Latvia. As the public health service suffers in the wake of the financial crisis, folk medicine is booming. A look at what the quacks are offering

GBL: party drug gets you high in your garage

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0000

On the weekends, this industrial solvent goes by the name 'liquid ecstasy'. From internet forums to TV chatshows, France is in uproar about the cheap stimulant you can buy in your local grocery

Immunologist Norbert Gualde: don't throw a swine flu party just yet

('Martyn Hawkins',) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0000

Rumours of a new way to deal with 2009's global epidemic broke out in the UK in July. The idea is crazy; catch the Influenza A (H1N1) virus and make antibodies before it becomes more virulent. A note of warning

Swine flu: 'I stopped using the metro in Mexico'

('Aatish Pattni',) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 10:46:46 -0000

Thousands of people travel every day using the subway in Mexico City. I stopped using it a week ago for the first time since I started living here two and half years ago. You can’t be too careful…Testimony from a Spaniard living in Mexico - Spain has 57 confirmed cases after Canada and before Britain, which has 27. 30 have died since the outbreak in late April

34 swine flu cases in UK: is Europe prepared?

('Kate Robinson',) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:29:06 -0000

The highly contagious respiratory disease has infected hundreds of people and led to 29 deaths in Mexico alone. Cases have also been confirmed in a number of European countries, including France, Germany and Spain. Is Europe properly prepared to face a pandemic?

Only an Austrian man could have helped invent the pill

('Karis Eaglestone',) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0000

A new generation of young women who are fed up with ingesting a concoction of hormones every day are in search of an alternative to the oral contraceptive as a contraceptive method. Reflections on the occasion of international women’s day on 9 March. Testimony from a young female

Climate change, health, economy: three European tips for Obama

('Steven Hill',) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:18:09 -0000

The inauguration of the 44th president of the US on 20 January is starting to look like the most spectacularly dramatic debut since the Beatles arrived in New York. But soon the buildup and the hype will be over, and it will be time for Team Obama to produce

Senegal: paying for health as a community

('Andrew Burgess',) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:00:00 -0000

In the Thiès region of Western Senegal, three new community healthcare insurance services are created every single year and this system of reimbursement appears to be very successful.

Bribing doctors: a Lithuanian custom

('Erin Woycik',) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0000

In Lithuania people must pay for access to the public health system. Many medical specialists receive informal 'under-the-table' payments to give priority or better treatment to generous patients

Hungary: More Than Just Goulash

Tue, 03 May 2005 14:00:00 -0000

Everyone knows about the Hungarian national dish. But what else is Hungary bringing to the EU? The answer is substantial intellectual wealth, showcased most spectacularly by Imre Kertész, and one of the world’s most complex languages.