Upon arrival in Riga, one is tempted to take the main road, Satekles iela, drawn in by the giant billboards, the buildings, or even the impressive clock tower of Stockmann shopping centre. However, one of Riga’s greatest mysteries, for the average tourist and Rigadian alike, lies on the ground of this city. This discrete landmark that often goes unnoticed by passersby, is hidden in one of the most walked-upon sidewalks of the city. It marks the junction between two pedestrian pathways, which...

A topic, a controversy. Veganism is regularly at the center of debates. Le Journal International has decided to delve deeper and to interview a vegan and nutritionist. First part of this report: meeting with a vegan. Miss Pigut, according to her vegan pseudonym pulled from her blog, PIGUT: Petites Idées pour Grandes Utopies (Small Ideas for Great Utopias) provides cooking classes, makes animations from time to time and writes cookbooks. She agreed to answer a couple of questions to present her...

The Convention on the Rights of the Child celebrates its 25th anniversary today. It gives us the opportunity to recall the work of UNICEF, the United Nations agency in charge of child protection throughout the world, but it also allows us to highlight one of the rights of children often put aside: the right to freedom of expression. “Un enfant, c’est un insurgé” (“A child is an insurgent”) Simone de Beauvoir stated in Mémoires d’une jeune fille rangée, 1958. (translated into English as Memoirs...

Jerusalem, 3 times holy city, inaugurated its tramway line on August 19th 2011. The line, which stretches across more than fourteen kilometers, connects Western neighborhoods to Eastern neighborhoods, and is the symbol of modernity for the Hierosimilitan city. But it is also the cause of much disagreement between Israelis and Palestinians. The recorded voice announces the arrival of the tram at Tsahal Square station, named after the Israeli army, in three languages: Hebrew, English, and Arabic....

Even if the country is located at the heart of the European Union, Belgium has been politically unstable for years. After a year without any government, the Belgian power is struggling to recover its balance. During the demonstration, which gathered more than 100 000 people on November 6th, the people showed their dissatisfaction. Belgium is a federal state, of which executive power is wielded by the King and his ministers. Belgium is composed of Flemish, French and German communities that are...

On 26th September, 43 Mexican students disappeared in Guerrero, a state in the Southeast of the country, after an attack led jointly by the local police and drug dealers. Although three members of the Guerreros Unidos cartel confessed to killing the students, the victims’ families are still demanding – for lack of evidence – that their children be given back to them alive. On 26th September, 57 students from the Ayotzinapa Normal School, aged 18 to 21, went to Iguala to launch a fundraiser and...

In Iran, several acid attacks have upset public opinion. Now, people are either scared or angry at the authorities. Accused of laxity, the latter have also had to explain themselves regarding a new legislation, which would offer means and protection to the moral militias that watch the enforcement of the law on wearing the veil. A climate of inflexible morality settles, and Iran obstinately negates the attacks, pretending foreign agents committed them. Acid was sprayed on the faces and bodies...

In the fight against obesity, the United Kingdom has launched a three-coloured nutritional code on its food products. Several European countries accused the system of potentially penalising their exportations. The EU is addressing this problem. A recent study from medical newspaper The Lancet showed that the United Kingdom is one of the only Western countries, along with Iceland and Malta, to display such high rates of obesity. Nearly 67% of men and 57% of women are deemed to be overweight in...

Last Sunday the 26th October, the nineteenth Riga International Film Festival 2ANNAS came to an end. 2ANNAS is an independent international film festival, which takes place every year in Riga, gathering together movie-makers and film-lovers from all around the world for several days. The theme this year was “Transgressors – Pathfinders and pioneers of cinema”. From documentaries to fiction, through to the experimental, the movies took different forms, and delivered quite often a message...

Six years after the 2008 financial crisis, Spain’s economy is getting better, with its GDP growing at a rate of 0.6% in the second quarter of 2014 and a decreasing unemployment rate. However, Spanish society has been deeply disturbed. Words of a disillusioned youth: “Spain is getting better”. At least that is what it seems, given the improvement in the economic situation, with positive growth for three quarters and a decrease in unemployment. However, with an unemployment rate of 23.67% between...