cities
Rise of Turkish soap operas in Greece
Has this positive phenomenon in Greek entertainment regarding multiculturalism increased due to the crisis? A wave of Turkish novellas seems to be bringing back more 'traditional values' that everyone can relate to via the small screen, regardless of the ancient antagonism between the two cultures
cities, greece, television, entertainment, athens, multikulti on the ground, culture
Ljubljana gets the luscious green light
Glance at a night-time satellite image of Europe, and you might notice that the entire continent is illuminated except for Slovenia, where a unique light pollution law was introduced in 2007. When it comes to green, the country outshines its EU neighbours. Slovenia's first ever green party successfully included environmental growth policies into the fabric of the new state on 25 June 1991. The good care of the country’s dense wealth of nature taken during its former Yugoslav era also meant that when Slovenia joined the EU in 2004, 35% of its territory was declared under the Natura 2000 programme, conserving its biodiversity. Take a bicycle south of the city, and in twenty minutes you’re in peaceful bear territory. Though Slovenia doesn’t have the same environmental problems as other European countries, other green problems can be overlooked; a heavily vehicled valley city, the capital suffers mainly from air, water and waste issues. Its citizens are notoriously active, hiking after work, ‘slacklining’ in parks or spending weekends in the surrounding forests or at the coast. Yet over the twenty years that the country has existed, the presence of a green party dwindled and green activism is slow-burning amongst its 2 million citizens, even about the country’s sole nuclear plant. From the streets to the hills which squeeze Ljubljana like a corset and the forests which tie it up like a ribbon, read the eighth edition in a 2011 monthly series, ‘Green Europe on the ground’ (Image: © Lucille Caballero/ lucillecaballero.com/)
France's 'war on criminality' aside, focus on Parisian Roma in 'social insertion villages'
Four years after their creation in Europe, 'social integration villages' are being presented as a 'Roma paradise'. European associations for minority protection expose some of the difficulties facing the most discriminated community in the EU. Meanwhile, the French government has since planned to dissolve 300 Roma settlements, whilst the UK is seeing its biggest Romany gypsy site, Dale Farm in Essex, bulldozed
cities, paris, discrimination, human rights, roma, suburbs, family
Belfast riots 2010: Orange Order, not girl guides
More bad news from the North? On the evening news in the Irish Republic, a report on the Belfast riots in catholic districts came third after a local car crash and economics reports. In the shadow of the 1998 peace process, the riots are the product of raging frustration in a shattered community
cities, northern ireland, protest, violence, ireland, news, belfast
WAMP: inside the monthly Hungarian design fair
Since 2006, the monthly design market has attracted hundreds of young local designers like 'Musu' who display their creations in front of an ever-growing crowd of visitors. But WAMP is not only a collective promotion of Hungarian design, it’s also a formidable economic catalyst, with its international design week too
cities, hungary, budapest, consumers, fashion, eucrisis on the ground, art market
Paris, Krakow: the crop of Europe's pretty urban green
The tallest building in the world, the 828 metre (2716 ft) high Burj Khalifa skyscraper, was unveiled in Dubai at the beginning of January. Nowadays the question is more of building outwards rather than upwards, with four buzzwords - happiness, ecology, smartness and economy - via two city models
cities, future of europe, paris, futur, architecture, ecology, urbanism
European bloggers describe their Berlin walls
Monday is 9 November, the day when the Berlin wall was brought down. To reflect on this iconic modern historical event for the eurogeneration, citizen journalists from five cafebabel.com local teams - Sofia, Budapest, Turin, Strasbourg and Istanbul - simultaneously blogged one day about the walls they see in their cities
cities, integration, germany, communism, event, architecture, budapest
Cologne hits the high waters
'Köln' (pronounced 'Keuhln') stands discreet but turbulent in its touristic and economic crossroads in Europe. From one side, 60, 000 students argue about the European university harmonisation process called 'Bologna'. On the other side, the local extreme-right Pro Köln party provokes islam- and religious freedom defenders. Add to that the biggest national gay pride gathering activists of the homosexual struggle. Five EU journalists take the temperature of a city which gave its name to the famous Eau de Cologne perfume - read the final stop of our twelve-city writing mission, 'EUdebate on the ground' (video and photo gallery below)
Berlin wall: version Vilnius 2009
Nostalgic? Nearly two decades after ‘die Wende’, as the Germans call it, the Lithuanian capital has become the EU capital of culture. In 2009 though, it is still fighting its old demons. Russian symbols have been erased without mercy. A cold soviet wind blows through the Baltic republic with regards to energy. Belarusian students find exile in a special university four hours from Minsk. The domestic brain drain is ongoing. Three journalists plus one photographer and one videomaker (see below) hunt the clash of cultures in our monthly cities stop: 'EU Debate on the ground'
- Read the special edition Berlin wall: version Vilnius 2009
- Energy in Lithuania: tick A, B or C for 'nuclear', 'renewable' or 'both'
- Soviet nostalgia: Russian drink, bunker parties and film in Vilnius
- Visit to the EHU: Belarusian elite university exiled in Vilnius
- 15.5% unemployment, diaspora: Lithuanians try luck elsewhere
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