Feature
Book review: the strange case of Ryszard Kapuscinski
The moment I heard that the biography of the late Polish 'journalist of the century' was being written, I knew there'd be some debate. I was right. Because if in Poland someone is 'great', he is also an untouchable saint
feature, literature, culture calendar, journalism, ryszard kapuscinski, poland, society
Facebooking Afghani refugee children in Italy
‘In December 2008 I met four young Afghani children on a bus. I was struck by their smiles, the commotion they caused and the racism of other passengers on the bus. They had arrived that very evening, on foot, the night that the Tiber flooded. I took them with me that evening, but things didn’t turn out as expected...'
feature, afghanistan, rome, human rights, refugee, citizen journalism, children
Fiat at Melfi plant, Italy: ‘basically there’s a recession every five years'
Following plans to restructure Termini Imerese facility, Fiat has got everyone talking again: on 15 July, production of the Punto model was stopped at San Nicola di Melfi, one of the largest Fiat factories. In Italy, the company’s future divides trade unions and confuses workers. Report
feature, fiat, car industry, economic crisis, economy, italy, society
What the fridge is EU debate on the ground?
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
feature, eu debate on the ground, cities, citizen journalism, débat européen, enlargement, education
Biofuels: how green is the green gold rush in Senegal?
Europe’s Sustainable Energy Week takes place in Brussels from 9 to 13 February, with biofuel at the centre of the debates. Is it possible for Europe to go green without causing famine in western Africa? Feature
feature, environmental protection, biofuel, senegal, ecology, renewable energies, global warming
Greek islands: a new Eldorado for clandestine immigrants
The influx of clandestine immigrants to Italy and Spain has drastically reduced; the eastern Aegean Sea has become the new destination for illegal migrants
feature, greece, clandestine, leros, aegan sea, island, illegal
German nudists off Poland's Baltic beaches!
The nudists have always been there, but until Poland entered into the Schengen agreement on 1 January 2008, Usedom beach, which lies between the German and Polish towns of Ahlbeck and Swinoujscie, was divided by a wire-mesh fence
feature, poland, swinoujscie, baltic sea, usedom island, schengen, vacation
Hating on Hungarian Tescos
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?
feature, business, cities, europe on the ground, hungary, budapest, shopping
‘Buda-sex’ and the Hungarian porn industry
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
feature, prostitution, sex, pornography, business, cities, europe on the ground
As drugs and violence rise, Mexico's democratic hopes fall
Mexicans are losing confidence in their institutions, justice is absent, women are murdered and narcotics traffickers keep the pressure on an increasingly violent society
feature, violence, mexico, men and women, drugs, youth, non-eu countries
Spot the Italian (or German) in South Tyrol
The fortunate can discover the possibilities of European linguistic diversity at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. Multilingualism shows its true colours here – both good and bad
feature, students, languages, bozen, southern eu, multilingualism, italy
Fresh new faces at the Berlinale Talent Campus
Between 9 and 14 February, the German capital played host to 350 up-and-coming film enthusiasts from all over the world
feature, cinema, berlin, youth, culture, germany, central and eastern europe
Günther von Hagens: dead bodies 'Plastinator'
The German anatomist has created quite a furore with his ‘Body Worlds’ exhibition throughout Europe. Since November 2006, visitors to the Plastinarium workshop in Guben have observed how corpses are plasticised
feature, art, death, interview, culture, germany, central and eastern europe
Hamburg: European metropolis?
Built in lavish style in 2006, the Europa arcade in the centre of Hamburg is the city’s new landmark shopping centre. 'Europe' can at best be imagined here
feature, hamburg, politics, shopping, germany, central and eastern europe
Finland: Europe's newest nuclear plant
'I never get an answer when I ask Iran what they plan to do with the enriched uranium they produce,' EU foreign chief Javier Solana said on 30 January. While the Iranian president waits for the west, we take a Nordic diversion
feature, olkiluoto 3, radioactivity, northern eu, iran islamic republic of, nuclear plant, javier solana
Minsk: the tidy road to regime perfection
Neat, elegant, so clean that you want to go barefoot – that is how the Lukashenko regime likes to present the capital of Belarus - the one visible to tourists, that is
feature, belarus, minsk, post-soviet states, alexander lukashenko, non-eu countries, world affairs
Built on Benzene
The city of Budapest wants to build a science park on the site of the former Óbuda gasworks
feature, architecture, museum, city planning, development, economy, europe
