cafebabel.com - the European magazine

Welcome

Identify yourself

Forgot your password?

Not a babelian yet?

Sign up

France

Enough steel for 8 Eiffel Towers

In front | ANALYSIS
Two TGV about to depart (Claytron/flickr)

France's 'transport revolution' takes place on 10 June, when the first phase of 'TGV Est', Europe's fastest railway link, opens

by Nicholas Newman // 07/06/07

(Illustration: Henning Studte)

Luck has eight superstitious legs

by Adriano Farano // 31/05/07

(Illustration: Henning Studte)

Hello?

by Inga Pietrusiska // 23/05/07

PANORAMA
Radio's spring awakening (laffy4k/flickr)

Radio Europe over the waves

Online radio waves are making a splash from French neighbourhoods to the European institutions in Brussels

by Hélène Rançon // 21/05/07

Free Theatre of Minsk in images

Extracts from 'Breathing Technquies In A Place Without Air' and 'Being Harold Pinter,' by artists-in-residence the Free Theatre of Minsk at the Alfortville studio theatre, Paris, May 2007

by PA // 17/05/07

PANORAMA

Eurosceptic: to be, or not to be

An undercurrent of Euroscepticism circles the European Union. According to the Eurobarometer, only 54% of Europeans see the EU as something positive, whilst 34% consider it negative

by Judith Argila // 09/05/07

Well and truly Lynched (Photo: Max Hidalgo)

Lynch’s Empire

After the release of his latest film Inland Empire, the 'Air is on Fire' in Paris - an exhibition revealing David Lynch's disturbing world

by Max Hidalgo // 12/03/07

PORTRAIT
(Illustration: Gemma Lopez)

50 years of football - of Hungarians and Frenchmen

Ferenc Puskás and Vikhash Dhorasoo's parallel career paths outline two universes - both of which feature a round ball

by Stéphane Pocidalo // 05/03/07

REPORT
The future? Opera-Bastille, Paris (Photo: Julien Henry/ Flickr)

Verdi on the web

Can more young people enjoy opera, asks a congress in Paris

by Martin Schneider // 02/03/07

PORTRAIT
(Illustration: Gemma Lopez)

50 years of love across the Schengen zone

Love beyond frontiers - two Euro-couples relate their stories of post-war Europe bliss

by Irene Barufatto // 23/02/07

FEATURE
French boy Scouts in Paris (Photos: Anna Karla)

Scouting for boys

February 22nd is the 150th birthday of Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the world-famous children’s Scouting Movement

by Anna Karla // 21/02/07

Edouard François: all green (Photo: Mariona Vivar)

Edouard François: urban chameleon

The Parisian architect mixes architecture with ecology: a fashionable fifty-year-old with a diverse background and designer of the offbeat Tower Flower in Paris

by Giulio Zucchini e Mariona Vivar // 19/02/07

ANALYSIS
Nuclear complex in Natanz, Iran (Photo: Hamed Saber/ Flickr)

Iran: Security Council deadline looms

February 21 is the United Nations deadline for Resolution 1737 for Iran to stop its uranium-enrichment programme

by James Fontanella-Khan // 19/02/07

INTERVIEW
Maronite protests in Beirut (Photo: Mathier Baudier/ Flickr)

'Financial aid to Lebanon won't increase Western control'

400 million Euros from the Commission, $770 million from the US. But Lebanon remains consumed by instability

by Mathieu Baudier // 19/02/07

ANALYSIS
Sights of the future (Photo: Hub/ Flickr)

'No snow'

Winter is becoming disturbingly mild, humid and snow-less, a fact which is making the ski industry sweat

by Grégory Mounier // 15/02/07

Illustration: Henning Studte

Slaves to 'ciao'

 

by Adriano Farano // 14/02/07

Erri De Luca, solitary thinker (Photo: Sassier/ Gallimard COUL2)

Erri de Luca, Neapolitan, generation '68

Winner of the 2002 Prix Fémina for Foreign Writers for his splendid Montedidio – written in 'very Neapolitan Italian' – Erri de Luca reflects on Europe, the Mediterranean and the passing of generations

by Adriano Farano e Fernando Navarro // 09/02/07

A pro-life protestor, in Paris, 2007 (Photo: Djuliet/ Flickr)

Abortion: pro-life tide

Anti-abortion associations are ‘lobbies’ in many countries, with their demands being heard all over Europe. Conservative, traditional values come first

by Ariadna Matamoros Fernàndez // 08/02/07

FOCUS
Striking designs on an album published by the 'Association' (Photo: l'Association)

'The Association': revolutionary publishing house

Independent Parisian comic-book publisher The Association formed their own comic publishing house in 1991, celebrating their first bestseller with Marjane Satrapi's 'Persepolis' six years ago

by Anne-Laure Murier // 02/02/07

PORTRAIT
Hergé locked in conversation with Andy Warhol (Photo: Hergé-Moulinsart 2006)

Hergé at 100: man without a quiff

May 22 marks the 100th birthday of Hergé, ‘father’ and creator of comic boy-hero Tintin. Events have been organised around the globe to celebrate a man who has been somewhat eclipsed by his creation

by Louise Bongiovanni // 25/01/07

ANALYSIS
An Erasmus that has enhanced lives (Photo: Blond avenger/ Flickr)

Erasmus turns 20 – time to grow up?

Name: Erasmus. Date of birth : 1987. Birthplace: Brussels - the European institutions are rather proud of their baby, which celebrates 20 years in 2007

by Jean-Sébastien Lefebvre // 22/01/07

FEATURE
Party kitchen: Heinrich Heine House at the Cité University in Paris (Photo: Anna Karla)

Partying the Erasmus way - over 34 hectares

Endless parties, sprawling sports fields, a huge park and diverse roommates from the four corners of the globe - a room in the Cité University is extremely sought after amongst Erasmus students in Paris

by Anna Karla // 22/01/07

PANORAMA

Factories of culture: forging new from old

All over Europe, former industrial buildings are being rebuilt as centres of culture. Residents cherish the special charm of these old factories

by Clotilde de Gastines/ Martin Schneider // 17/01/07

'Mademoiselle' Abbagnato, strikingly beautiful (Photo: Marco Glaviano)

Eleonora Abbagnato, shooting star

Through dedication and perseverance, this 28-year-old Sicilian has risen to the ranks of prima ballerina in the Paris Opera

by Mariona Vivar i Giulio Zucchini // 17/01/07

FEATURE
View of the main building of Parc de la Villette (Photos: Anna Karla)

Parc de la Villette: culture not cows

The Parc de la Villette in Paris is one of Europe’s leading art centres. Here art, music, science and technology all rub shoulders

by Anna Karla // 17/01/07

Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who goes down in history as a prominent voice against the war in Chechnya (Photo: Nofrills/ Flickr)

Chechens in Paris: bureaucratic odyssey

Far from the conflict-torn Caucasus, we meet the Chechnya Committee in Paris, who won’t allow a forgotten war to be erased from the European memory

by Giulia Lasagni // 14/01/07

PORTRAIT
Portrait of a president (Photo: Adam Tinworth/ Flickr)

A Hungarian amongst the Gauls

The ruling centre-right UMP party stays in power, as Nicolas Sarkozy beats Ségolène Royal, 53, the arch-rival Socialist candidate, to become the first ever French president with immigrant roots

by Linda Mézes // 11/01/07

Strictly come cafe: Claudio Magris (Photo: Mariona Vivar)

Claudio Magris – ‘When Europe is one state’

He wrote Danube in a café, and it's in a café that we meet the Triestine novelist, translator and very European intellectual

by Giulio Zucchini / Mariona Vivar Mompel // 08/01/07

PANORAMA
(Photo: Chickencat's/ Flickr)

Continental blues

The French consume 65 million boxes of antidepressants every year. The Baltic states have the highest suicide rates, but Italians are among the least affected

by Giovanni Angioni // 17/12/06

EuroNews and the TV giants

The French international news channel, France 24, is launched on December 6. EuroNews is already being given a rough ride by CNN or BBC World, and could soon be left trailing behind

by Farah Boucherak // 06/12/06

INTERVIEW
Does Chirac feel that Poland is finally 'behaving'? (Photo: cgommel/ Flickr)

Franco-Polish relations: 'the incoming tide of European subventions mutes old hurtful words’

Three questions were put to to Dominique Prusak, a French journalist who is currently residing in Poland

by Inga Pietrusiska // 05/12/06

ANALYSIS
Mitterand and Kohl: together, they laid the founding stones of the European Union (Photo: French Ministry of Foreign Affairs/ Wikipedia)

The Franco-German alliance: for better and for worse

The Weimar Triangle summit, taking place on December 5 in Mettlach, Germany, risks spinning the Franco-German axis into the eye

of the storm

by Anne Lainault // 05/12/06

FOCUS
Poland's media had a field day with speculations over why the Weimar summit was cancelled (Photo: Scokzek/ Flickr)

Mission: Possible – Germany and Poland before the summit

The current crisis between Berlin and Warsaw cannot last – Germany and Poland have too many common interests to make a prolonged dispute worthwhile

by Ingmar Zielke // 05/12/06

An after-dinner chat with Alain Passard (Photo: Leonor Guimarães)

Alain Passard, vegetable magician

French chef Alain Passard, 50, makes vegetables the key players in his culinary delights

by Leonor Guimarães // 18/11/06

INTERVIEW
A Bordelais vineyard (Photo: Vita Sary/ Flickr)

'Living off our reputation is no longer enough'

Some French wine producers see globalisation as a fact, not a fatality. They are fighting back with two weapons: quality and marketing

by Pauline Fréour // 17/11/06

ANALYSIS

The Euro-vision Contest

Presidential candidate Ségolène Royal is officially leading the left in the race for the Elysée. Just don’t expect too much from the candidates

by Chris Reynolds // 17/11/06

REPORT
A wall in Notting Hill, West London (Photo: Dave Gorman, Flickr)

Paris, Samuel Beckett’s final stop

One hundred years after his birth, Paris presents the complete œuvre of Samuel Beckett, one of the European writers who best expressed the malady of the 20th century (until June 2007)

by Max Hidalgo // 14/11/06

Acquaviva in concert with 'A Filetta' in Paris (Photo: Adriano Farano)

Jean-Claude Acquaviva, and his Corsican roots

The 41-year-old singer and frontman of the harmonic choral group 'A Filetta' talks about his latest album, 'Medea', which compares Seneca's heroine to Corsica and Jason to France.

by Adriano Farano // 13/11/06

REPORT
François Hollande, a suffering man? (Parti socialiste/Flickr)

No more Mr. Royal

International Women's Day, on March 8, is an occassion to celebrate the new alpha-female - the Royals and Merkels of Europe

by Lorenzo Erroi // 06/10/06

ANALYSIS
Nicolas Sarkozy wants a common EU immigration policy (Commission européenne)

Sarkozy to toughen EU immigration laws

In Madrid, the leader of the French right wing party UMP declared the EU should decide on asylum issues

by Adriano Farano // 03/10/06

DEBATE
Does Great Britain need more faith-based schools? (Hector Ferniza, Flickr)

Education and Islam: keeping the faith

Are state faith schools a viable solution to integration problems in Europe?

by Chris Reynolds // 18/09/06

PANORAMA

Escalating threats and anti-terrorist measures

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

by Emanuela Ruse // 11/09/06

Foto: Dan Buczynski/ Flickr

Hitchhiking against poverty

70 young Europeans take part in Eurizons, a unique hitchhike campaign to promote the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

by Annette Detmer and Maarten van der Schaaf // 08/09/06

FEATURE
Illegal immigrants demonstrate against deportations in France (Amir Karma Flickr)

Translating threats: Chinese immigrants fight to stay in France

Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to step up deportations of illegal immigrants to 25,000. A network of teachers fights to defend pupils and their families

by Clea Caulcutt // 05/09/06

The ambiguous little miss piggy

Paris, France, summer 2006

by Nicolas Baker // 21/08/06

INVESTIGATION
Lumbumba´s legacy still exerts a powerful influence over the Congolese in exile (IISG)

Kinshasa-Paris: life at the margins of the state

8000km from home, the Congolese community in Paris remain as concerned as ever by the politics in their country – and unconvinced the elections that took place on the 30 July will change anything

by Joshua Craze // 31/07/06

FOCUS

Bridget Jones Syndrome

Is being single a flaw? It is becoming less so if you consider Europeans’ new demands for their love lives.

by Vanessa Witkowski et Prune Antoine // 13/02/06

REPORT
More and more Eurocouples are living in Europe

Love with no borders – the future of lovers in Europe

Since the gift of the Erasmus exchange programme, more and more young Europeans have fallen in love abroad. But on return to their home countries, euphoria soon gives way to everyday problems. Three couples tell their story.

by Sarah Elsing // 13/02/06

Bregovic, up in the clouds(Goran Bregovic)

Goran Bregovic, a European tempo

With violin and accordion slung over his shoulder, Goran Bregovic, Serbo-Croatian composer and former rockstar, known for his cinematographic collaborations with Emir Kusturica, travels the four corners of Europe. A gypsy rhythm with European harmonies.

by Camille Neveux // 11/02/06

Foreign Treats

by Sybille Regout // 08/02/06

Ben Jelloun, the wise  (Editions Gallimard)

Tahar Ben Jelloun, bridging the gap

Tahar Ben Jelloun, the celebrated Moroccan writer, explains how the children of Europe are spoilt and why his native country should be able join the EU.

by Prune Antoine // 28/01/06

Illustration: Henning Studte

Touched by music

Music is an important part of a country’s culture and society. But the verb used to describe how it is produced is just as influenced as the final sound itself.

by Eva Queralt // 25/01/06

PANORAMA

A decade of food hysteria

Many EU countries have ordered farmers to keep their chickens indoors. Such action has a familiar ring. The past decade has been marked by crises in the food chain in Europe.

by Silvia Filipe // 23/01/06

Ilustration: Henning Studte

Venus has a free rein

by Martin Schneider // 18/01/06

FOCUS
The Belgian flag (wikipedia)

Belgium: a linguistic laboratory

Belgium's autonomous regions aren't speaking the same language.

by Sophie Constant // 16/01/06

FOCUS
A Belfast mural

The Northern Irish mafia

The IRA may have signed a ceasefire, but it has yet to give up crime.

by Lorenzo Erroi // 16/01/06

Are you enjoying your food?

by Fiona Wollensack // 11/01/06

Advertising

latest babelblog posts
gulfstreamblues

Moving to Paris

Now that I definitively have my Italian citizenship, it’s come time to enter the next phase of my life. What that is I’m not quite sure yet, but in the medium term I’ve decided that it involves moving on from my current job and heading over to ...

by gulfstreamblues // 06/08/08

gulfstreamblues

Club Med: Levant Becomes the Focus

Though French president Nicolas Sarkozy's ambitious original plans for a Mediterranean Union have been dramatically scaled down, the group still had its first meeting yesterday in Paris.Sarkozy was practically beaming after the meeting, calling his idea for the Mediterranean Union an “extraordinary concept,” and heralding the fact that ...

by gulfstreamblues // 14/07/08

gulfstreamblues

Watered Down at Club Med

Along with the pomp of the Bastille Day celebrations this weekend in Paris, the city will see another grand occastion: the first meeting of the “Mediterranean Union,” Nicolas Sarkozy’s pet project that he has made the centrepiece of France’s EU presidency. But the way Sunday’s meeting is ...

by gulfstreamblues // 11/07/08