Germany: Berlin and Beyond

Take Five

City Fashions Rest Stop for Weary Beavers

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

Stasi Spy Revelations Rock German State

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

Giant Penis Sparks Bizarre Media War

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...

• Photo Gallery: The Taz's External Organ

Communism's Tragic Twilight

The Forgotten Last Victims of East Germany

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...

• Photo Gallery: The Last Lives Lost on the Border

Looming Credit Crunch

Merkel Government Urges Banks to Lend More

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...

• SPIEGEL 360: Our Full Coverage of the Global Economic Downturn

Desertec Dreams

Can Saharan Solar Power Save Europe?

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...

• SPIEGEL 360: Our Full Coverage of Energy and Natural Resources

Courtroom Drama in Perugia

Verdict Due in Meredith Kercher Murder Trial

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

Takeover Battle Leaves Open Wounds at Volkswagen and Porsche

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...

• SPIEGEL 360: Our Full Coverage of Volkswagen and Porsche

INTERNATIONAL

Switzerland: Minaret Ban

How the Right Is Wrong

The Bizarre Logic Behind the Swiss Minaret Ban

Us against them. That is how Europe's right wing sees the Swiss ban on minarets. After all, so goes the logic, Christians in the Muslim world aren't doing any better. But the argument is the height of intellectual laziness. The two groups simply cannot be compared. By Yassin Musharbash more...

• Photo Gallery: Switzerland's Ban on Minarets 

Riled by Minaret Ban

Film Director Fatih Akin to Boycott Swiss Premiere

Leading Turkish-German director Fatih Akin has said he will boycott the Swiss premiere of his new film as a protest against Sunday's referendum vote to ban the construction of minarets in the country. He complained that the Swiss ban contradicted his belief in the "harmonious co-existence of peoples." more...

Liberals Plan to Overturn Swiss Minaret Ban 

Romania

	Both Candidates Claim Victory in Romania Race

Germany: The World from Berlin from 'Der Spiegel' English Online

How to Explain Guttenberg's About-Face?

Germany's Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has now decided that the Sept. 4 bombing in Kunduz was "militarily inappropriate," claiming that new information led him to change his mind. But German commentators on Friday say he should have arrived at the same conclusion much earlier. more...

 Afghanistan Surge

NATO Promises Troops, Some Members Stall

NATO has promised to send at least 5,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan. The question is: Where will they come from? Some nations, including Germany, say they will not make any decisions until next year, while other nations are saying that their soldiers can go -- but not fight. more...

The World from Berlin

'Obama's Speech Was an Admission of Failure'

Critique of US President Barack Obama's newly announced strategy for Afghanistan has not been difficult to find. But at least he has taken a long-overdue sober look at the situation there, say German commentators. Now it's time for Europeans to do the same. more...

• Opinion

  Searching in Vain for the Obama Magic

  Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false as his Tuesday address announcing America's new strategy for Afghanistan. It seemed like a campaign speech combined with Bush rhetoric -- and left both dreamers and realists feeling distraught. By Gabor Steingart more...
  

  • Afghanistan Speech at West Point: Obama's Half-Hearted Surge
  • New Afghanistan Strategy: The Full Text of Obama's West Point Speech
  • Photo Gallery: Obama Presents His New Afghanistan Strategy
  • SPIEGEL 360: Our Complete Afghanistan Coverage 

  
  
  SPIEGEL 360: Our Complete Afghanistan Coverage

'Der Spiegel': Meet Peter Higgs

Meet Peter Higgs

The Man Behind The God Particle

Physicist Peter Higgs is now world famous because of the subatomic particle bearing his name. But his ideas were initially snubbed by the academic world, with his landmark publication predicting the existence of the Higgs boson being rejected at first. The editor apparently didn't understand a word of it. By Margriet van der Heijden more...

'Der Spiegel': The Children of Sodom and Gomorrah

How Europe's Discarded Computers Are Poisoning Africa's Kids

People in the West throw away millions of old computers every year. Hundreds of thousands of them end up in Africa, where children try to eke out a living by selling the scrap. But the toxic elements in the waste are slowly poisoning them. By Clemens Höges more...

der Spiegel: Urban Greenhouses

Zany Vision or Critical Solution?

Urban Greenhouses Aim to Help Cities Combat Climate Change

With its massive glass dome, the Plantagon Greenhouse wouldn't look out of place in a sci-fi movie. And if all goes smoothly, one may soon crop up in a city near you. In these days of global warming, its creators argue, it's not a question of if it will become reality but, rather, when. By Jess Smee more...

Germany: Ther German Forced to Become a Turk

Victim of Immigration Policy

The German Forced to Become a Turk

Mohammad Eke was born and grew up in the German city of Essen. Until authorities found out that his parents had entered the country illegally, Germany was his home. Then Eke was deported to Turkey, even though he'd never visited the country and didn't speak the language. It's just another run-of-the-mill case of German immigration policy in action. By Jochen-Martin Gutsch more...

Germany: New government

MERKEL'S NEW CABINET

SPIEGEL ONLINE

An Interactive Guide to Germany's New Government