· November, 2012

Stories about Western Europe from November, 2012

Greece: New Platform Encourages Affordable Heat Options

  15 November 2012

This winter, website Kala-Nea.gr [Good News] reports on Ksyla.gr [el], a new platform that aims to reduce the cost of heating, by serving as an aggregator on different types and prices of solid fuel: firewood, pellets, briquettes, coal. Traders can join the project, providing data for their products and the areas...

Bridge Blog for Afghanistan and Pakistan: ‘Understanding the Neighbor’

  14 November 2012

In a fellowship program 22 journalists from Afghanistan and Pakistan gathered together twice, once in Islamabad and once in Kabul to understand each others, share value and make cultural exchanges. The documented their experiences in a blog titled ‘Understanding the neighbor' and are ready to challenge the decades old established narratives about their neighbors.

Catalan TV Show Flares Debate Over Independence from Spain

  12 November 2012

Catalan public television, TV3, recently broadcast a special news program called "Independence, step by step". It has caused massive debate at a heated moment in Catalan politics, not long before an election that is considered a plebiscite over the Catalonia's independence from Spain.

French Government Eases Strict Immigration Policy

  12 November 2012

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, during a speech in Toulouse in southwestern France, expressed his desire to change his country's immigration policy, amending the naturalization requirements and, in particular, doing away with the multiple choice tests and the need to have signed a permanent employment contract. Here is a summary of the reactions to these new measures.

Brazil, France: Agroecology Helps Reduce Poverty

  9 November 2012

Respecting the soil is fundemental to us. It is where we get our food from and how we will provide for our children Suelia explains [fr] how the agroecology approach (bringing ecological principles to bear in agroecosystems) has helped many in her community grow a sustainable business model by diversifying...

Racism in European Football: Will New Rules Help?

  8 November 2012

October 2012 has seen racism rear its ugly head again, mainly in the European Leagues, especially in England affecting both the Premier League clubs and players as well as the national team. Many have wondered whether the major football bodies UEFA and FIFA will act as some have been trying to do like the Football Association (FA) in England.

Portugal: An Open Letter to Germany

  5 November 2012

Portuguese economist and researcher José Maria Castro Caldas published an open letter to the citizens of Germany on the website of the Initiative for a Citizen Audit of the public debt. The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel will be on an official visit to Portugal on November 12, 2012.

Unemployed Young Italians: Too “Choosy” to Stay in Italy?

  5 November 2012

Recent statements by the Italian Minister of Labour's have created a controversy and online "craze" centred on chronic youth unemployment, while citizen initiatives are launched to keep young Italians from leaving the country in search of better opportunities.

Refugees on Hunger Strike in Germany against Politics of Deterrence

  5 November 2012

On October 24, twenty-five asylum-seekers went on hunger strike in front of Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The protest in the highly symbolic location, which stands for the once violent division of a people by politics, is the latest in a chain reaction that began in February with the suicide of the Iranian Mohammad Rahsepar in a refugee camp in Würzburg.

Germany: Satire Magazine Calls for Complimentary Ph.D.s

  1 November 2012

After a series of scandals surrounding the academic achievements of German politicians who cheated on their dissertations, the online satire magazine“Der Postillon” is now calling for a complimentary Ph.D. [de] for all politicans: This way, the embarrassing and politically dishonorable rescinding of doctorates can be avoided. The Ministry of Education...

Wedding Party at Petrol Station with Greece in Crisis

  1 November 2012

In a blog post entitled “Crisis wedding in Greece”, Belgian freelance photographer Nick Hannes posts the story of a bride and groom in Patras, Peloponnese who decided to hold their wedding party at the groom's petrol station. “This is how we respond to the crisis”, a family member said to...