Cafebabel.com

The art of ‘being cool’ in modern society is no longer trendy - men are expected to be more sensitive and understanding. Yet so many are unable to cope with this new role, and have been christened the new 'men in pain' in Germany. So it's a good thing that Jeff Bridges, in his cinematic role from 'The Big Lebowski', has a few tips

The murder of one of the godfathers of the Russian mafia, a 75-year-old ethnic Kurdish Yezidi from Georgia, as he was leaving a restaurant in Moscow, resounded across the Russian capital. Rumour has it that the passing of 'Ded' or 'Grandpa Hasan' as he was known has even sent a shiver down the Kremlin's spine, as it were, says a Spanish journalist based in Moscow

For over fifteen years the Swedish garage rock band has established itself as one of the most exciting live rock acts. Clad in black-and-white and singing in English, they enchant an international crowd this Sunday night in Belgium. Interview with three of the five members, Chris Dangerous, Dr. Matt Destruction and Nicholaus Arson from cafebabel Brussels

On 18 January British prime minister David Cameron will deliver an eagerly awaited speech in The Hague on Britain's position regarding the EU. According to media reports he plans to announce a referendum on the return of competences from Brussels. The project could prolong the euro crisis and jeopardise Cameron's political career, commentators write

Public discourse in France on environmental issues have long become the norm, and environmental advocacy groups have had significant influence.‬ ‪But how they are implemented locally?‬ ‪We visit three organisations in Lyon that have helped develop sustainable lifestyles in the city

The 'concept is simple', runs the manifesto on ‘adopteunmec.com’: ‘the customer is king, and he is queen – respect to the women. In this supermarket of hook-ups, the gals strike the bargain deals.’ Three male members of the dating site explain how the groove has been got on for their generation in this e-fashion since 2008

Man is unhappy. It's because of a subtle mix of historical, cultural and even economic factors. Women, too, have a part to play; they are free, liberated, independent, and in some countries, even have higher salaries. Have women pillaged the traditional role that men of the third millennium might have played as traditional heads of the family?

You going to FMAC (Find Meet Attract Close) that HB (Hot Babe)? Never mind what newspapers and scientists say all the time – you can’t dismiss 'Pick Up' patter as anti-woman techniques which men can learn (for a fee). No, it’s all about increasing men’s self-awareness and helping them get on well with women says our author and 'PU' community member

The stereotypical roles of violence are usually quite clear in a traditional society like Spain has. Men are the perpetrators, women are the victims. In Spain, misogynistic behaviour is strongly penalised thanks to a gender-related law, the only one of its kind in the EU, but the voices of male victims are rarely heard - until Rafael* spoke out

Watch out for homogenisation. In order to flog their wares to Americans and their sensitive stomachs, or to get them approved by Brussels, European cheese makers are being asked to pasteurise their products. How disgraceful! Cheese and cheese-making has such a wonderful tradition...

The graduate films presented by 41 young directors at the 2012 'rencontres Henri Langlois festival' in France are an unashamed breath of fresh air, being more intimate and daring than the work of their elders. Directors from the UK, Croatia and Belgium share their views

On 9 December EU council president Herman Van Rompuy visited Irish prime minister Enda Kenny in Dublin. At the beginning of Ireland's EU council presidency, which runs between January and July 2013, both leaders spoke out against Britain leaving the EU. EU budget negotiations could also cause conflict in the next six months

In 2004 the Portuguese thirtysomethings created postcrossing.com, an online platform for ‘postcardophiles’ the world over. Bizarrely, they are promoting the traditional idea of sending handwritten cards out of a digital world. The globetrotting couple lived in the US, the Netherlands, Slovenia and China before moving to Berlin

The artist and musician is polling third to become the next Czech president, the first ever to be elected in a popular vote on 11 and 12 January. The tattooed university professor, 53, is quite a vision of the promise of tomorrow

Onnishambles, Rettungsroutine and l'esodato - read on to see how some of these European words of 2012 inevitable define the course of a turbulent, crisis-shaken year

Virtually every young Czech has heard of their mushroom cloud stunt in 2007. Now the Prague-based artist collective is seeking to stir up trouble again with a new film 'Citizen K', an artistic experiment with false identity documents, which is due for release in January 2013

The larger-than-life French actor became the holder of a Russian passport in the new year. He was offered citizenship by Vladimir Putin after protesting against a murmoured 75% tax increase in France. Some commentators accuse Depardieu of allowing himself to be used, whilst others sympathise with the film star's bid to escape the bloated French social welfare state

To the popular youtube video where American gay guys declared: 'We will marry your girlfriends', a viral rebuttal came swiftly. In the western world, 'marriage for all' is a truly fashionable subject. We speak of little else in France, every time we turn on the television, Sundays spent with family or in the waiting room at the doctors

'What the law does not forbid doing, decency forbids'. A debate about decency and morality in the 21st century seems as frumpy as this quote from the Roman poet Ovid. But in the German language there is a relic of public morality that has survived: 'Der Anstandswauwau' is the 'decency-doggie’ who is playing third wheel on your date. European idiom of the week

A new impetus has been given to the media and creative sectors due to various crowdfunding platforms. To summarise the model of financing projects over the internet: I have the crowd, you have the funding