Take Five
Beavers get tired too. For that reason, Berlin has fashioned a mini rest stop for the furry animals to take a break as they swim through the city in the Spree River. It marks a significant change since the times when Berliners saw beavers as a tasty treat during Lent. By Christopher Lawton
more...
Brandenburg Government Under Fire
For years, centrist politicians in Germany shunned the far-left Left Party for its rumored connections to East Germany's communist past. Now, just months after the SPD began rethinking that position, numerous Left Party parliamentarians in Brandenburg have been exposed as former Stasi informants.
more...
Berlin's History Res-Erected
Four decades ago, the mass-circulation tabloid Bild did its best to squelch the 1968 student movement in Berlin. This year, the German capital has seen the conflict swell once again. And it has resulted in some rather stiff competition. By Thomas Hüetlin
more...
Communism's Tragic Twilight
In October 1989, a group of young men decided they'd had enough of East Germany and would try to escape across the Oder River to Poland. But before long, they had either disappeared or died. A month later, the fall of the Wall would overshadow their tragic deaths. By Michael Sontheimer
more...
Looming Credit Crunch
Chancellor Angela Merkel and German bank bosses on Wednesday took their first steps towards averting a potential credit crunch in Europe's biggest economy. Economy Minister Rainer Brüderle warned that banks must boost corporate lending -- or else would face tighter regulations.
more...
Desertec Dreams
Some say it's a foolish fantasy, others believe it has the potential to save the world from the effects of climate change. The German-led Desertec initiative to build a massive solar thermal power plant in the Sahara Desert has both advocates and critics. SPIEGEL ONLINE looks at the current state of play. By Jens Lubbadeh
more...
Courtroom Drama in Perugia
A verdict is expected this week in the trial involving the murder of Meredith Kercher, a British exchange student who was stabbed to death in Italy in 2007. The main defendants, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, could be facing life in prison if found guilty. By Alexander Smoltczyk in Perugia, Italy
more...
Marital Woes
The long-running takeover battle between VW and Porsche has created deep divisions between the two auto manufacturers. Now they are dependent on each other for their future success, but some people at both firms are clearly reluctant to bury the hatchet. By Dietmar Hawranek
more...
