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Our latest stories Merkel picks Joachim Gauck as new German president By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
In her usual pragmatic manner Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday night praised the man who will almost certainly be the next German president, even though she vehemently opposed his candidacy for the same post in 2010. Joachim Gauck, a former East German activist and pastor who helped expose the crimes of the Stasi secret police, secured the backing of all the main parties as presidential candidate, less than two years after being narrowly defeated by Merkel’s nominee Christian Wulff. ...Read more
Recession has Portugal urging citizens to leave to find work By Mariana Barbosa, Catarina Sousa and Naomi Westland, USA TODAY
For nearly 600 years, Portugal had one of the greatest colonial empires in Europe, commanding trade centers in Africa, South America and China. Now, laid low by recession, Portugal is telling citizens to head to former colonies where Portuguese is spoken, such as Brazil and Macau, to find work. "Recent graduates should lead a new type of emigration, different from the 1960s, when Europe was the destination," Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Miguel Relvas said recently. ...Read more
Revolution brings instability to Sinai Peninsula By Sarah Lynch, USA Today
Braced by a calm, crisp breeze off the Red Sea, Bedouin Sheik Sleiman El-Sakhan, leader of the south Sinai's Muzainah tribe, offers tea in an outdoor spot beneath trees and speaks optimistically about the future. "We do a good job at keeping the land secure but we can't do anything without the Egyptian government," El-Sakhan says of the roughly dozen tribes that sprawl Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. "I don't understand who is managing the country now." ...Read more
Reporting After The Arab Spring By Charles McPhedran, New Matilda
New Matilda contributor’s Austin Mackell’s first public reaction to his sudden international fame last week invoked an old journalistic cliché: "FIRST RULE OF JOURNALISM: Don’t become the story (actually it is more of a guideline)." The Australian journalist posted this on his Twitter feed just after his release from custody in Egypt. ...Read more
Germany battles over the future of solar energy By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Last year Germany produced a record amount of energy from solar panels installed on rooftops and in fields across the country. With a total of about 25 gigawatts of installed panels, Germany now has half of the world's entire solar energy capacity. An unprecedented 7.5 gigawatts of panels were added to the country’s energy system in 2011, twice the government’s target. ...Read more
Kyrgyzstan lake to become bicyclists’ haven By Tolkun Namatbaeva and Louise Osborne, Washington Times
Kyrgyz youth are “pedaling” a new plan to boost tourism and employment: a 300-mile bicycle route around the beautiful environs of the world’s 10th largest lake — Issyk-Kul, in the Tian Shan mountains of eastern Kyrgyzstan. A youth group called the Bai Issyk-Kul Foundation came up with the idea for the bike route, which will circumnavigate Lake Issyk-Kul. ...Read more
Benghazi: Much still to do in Libya one year after Gadhafi’s fall By Mike Elkin, Washington Times
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Feb. 17 revolution, residents here say that while they are thrilled their former dictator is gone, there hasn’t been enough of an effort to purge his supporters from the leadership. “The question is whether the regime has fallen or is it still there,” said Abdel Salam El Sherif, 33, a lawyer and political activist....Read more
Greece, Germany clash ahead of bailout decision By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Germany in particular seems to be playing hardball ahead of Monday’s crucial meeting of euro zone finance ministers. Markets on Thursday were jittery as a deal on the Greek bailout remains elusive, with borrowing costs for Italy and Spain rising on concerns that they could be dragged back into the euro crisis. ...Read more
Tension surrounds Latvian vote on Russian as 2nd language By Olga Dragileva, Washington Times
A referendum Saturday on designating Russian as Latvia’s second official language has drawn supporters who say it is a protest vote against discrimination against Russian Latvians and detractors who say it is evidence of Moscow’s manipulation of the former Soviet republic. ...Read more
Moroccan Protests One Year On By Aida Alami, The New York Times
Protesters are set to mark the first anniversary of Morocco’s February 20 pro-democracy movement with demonstrations and strikes across the country starting Sunday. But activists say that, rather than a celebration, the protests will be a reminder to the regime that they will not give up before their calls for reform are answered. ...Read more
Kurdish conflict takes toll on Turkey’s image By Yasemin Ergin, Washington Times
Turkey’s regional status as a democratic role model is being threatened by the Muslim country’s 30-year conflict with Kurds, which now is pushing Turkey toward violent upheaval. Turkish warplanes on Sunday bombed suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq in the second cross-border airstrike in less than a week. ...Read more
Horst-Werner Nilges: Germany’s freelance parking cop By Sumi Somaskanda, Global Post
A death threat on the answering machine. A bullet in the mailbox. Anonymous phone calls and notes. And a letter with a bomb sketched on it. This is the life of Horst-Werner Nilges, a 58-year-old retiree in the German town of Osterode. Known as “Knoellchen Horst,” or “Parking Ticket Horst.” ...Read more
Hope for Future of Libyan Tourism in Sprawling Greek Ruins By Mike Elkin, The New York Times
More than 2,600 years after the Greeks founded the city of Cyrene in the mountains of northeastern Libya, the ancient gymnasium’s high stone walls still shield athletes from the winter winds as they train among the ruins. Heritage-conscious Libyans have drafted a plan to preserve the ruins at Cyrene and promote them as a tourist attraction. ...Read more
Berlin not budging on Greek bailout, as GDP plummets By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Greece can be under no illusion when it comes to Germany’s determination to see that it stick to its pledges or suffer the consequences. The tone from Berlin ahead of Wednesday’s crucial meeting of euro zone finance ministers is stern: Athens needs to stick to its commitments and find the extra savings needed to secure a second bailout....Read more
Despite riots, Greece pushes ahead with austerity By Nikolia Apostolou, The Christian Science Monitor
Greek politicians debated new austerity measures until deep into the night yesterday while outside, tens of thousands of protestors chanted "traitors" at the lawmakers, who they accused of selling out Greece. Multiple buildings were set alight in downtown Athens yesterday, and riot police battled protesters throwing Molotov cocktails and stones....Read more
It’s do or die before London Olympics By Naomi Westland, Washington Times
Officials have stark advice for Londoners planning to stay home this summer and deal with some 11 million visitors attending the Olympic Games: Don’t get married, get sick, go to restaurants or theaters - or die. “I would ask people that if you’re going to die, you’d better do it before the games or try and hang on till afterwards,” funeral director John Harris told a London newspaper. ...Read more
Some say Greek debt deal will make things worse By Ruby Russell and Nikolia Apostolou, USA Today
As Greek lawmakers approved a new round of austerity cuts to qualify for a second bailout, some say the rescue package isn't going to help Greece but make things worse — piling on new debt for years to come while undermining its wobbly economy. ...Read more
German skepticism stalls ACTA in Europe By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
The government here has stalled the Europe Union’s attempt to sign an international anti-piracy treaty. Thousands of Germans hit the streets this weekend to protest against the agreement, and even within the halls of power, there are concerns about the ramifications of the crackdown on online piracy. ...Read more
The debt brake: Germany’s most dangerous export? By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
In recent months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been using the urgency posed by the euro zone’s debt crisis to reshape Europe’s economies, largely to conform with a particular quirk of German economists: disdain for government debt. ...Read more
With Nazi-leaks site, Anonymous targets the German far right By Ruby Russell, Global Post
From 2000 to 2006, nine men died at the hands of a serial killer across Germany. All of them with foreign heritage, and all but one of Turkish background. Only two were actual vendors who sold doner kebabs, a common street snack in Germany. But the moniker, smacking of stereotypes and prejudices of Turkish-Germans, continued to stick as the killings went on. ...Read more
ACTA ignites concerns about threat to Internet freedom By Josie Blond, USA Today
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is designed to put in place international standards to protect intellectual property rights. But some lawyers say it forces private companies to police cybertraffic — and across the globe the treaty is being seen as a serious threat to Internet freedom. ...Read more
Turkmenistan’s voters assail lack of choice in election By Naz Nazar, The Washington Times
Turkmenistan’s president is running for re-election Sunday against candidates only from his own party, a contest that voters say provides them no choice. “I think the president will clearly win … regardless whether there is a choice of candidates or not,” said a journalist in the capital, Ashgabat, who asked not to be named out of fear for his safety....Read more
In Ireland, EU treaty on debt remains in doubt By Jason Walsh, The Christian Science Monitor
Much of the uncertainty rests on whether the referendum is actually required in this case. Ireland's attorney general will not make a ruling on that question until late February, but opposition parties left and right are demanding one regardless of the decision. ...Read more
A model to save newspapers: Where paywalls actually work By Jason Walsh, The Christian Science Monitor
As news organizations worldwide wonder if they can charge for content that readers are accustomed to getting free of charge, two Eastern European countries have pioneered a new model: erecting national paywalls and charging a monthly fee for access to most of their newspapers. ...Read more
Europe's Internet revolt: protesters see threats in antipiracy treaty By Jason Walsh, The Christian Science Monitor
Despite freezing conditions across much of the Continent, thousands are expected to the streets of European cities today – but the protests aren't about austerity measures, bailouts, or the Middle East. They are about an obscure international copyright agreement that protesters say threatens free speech online and the future of the Internet. ...Read more
Syrians reportedly fight for their lives as killings rise By Karine Barzegar, and Sumi Somaskanda, USA Today
Troops under President Bashar Assad continued on Tuesday to shell the Baba Amr district of Homs, Syria's third-largest city and an area that has been under siege for months. More than 300 people are believed to have died in Homs last weekend, said Walid Saffour, president of the Syrian Human Rights Committee in London. ...Read more
German opposition politicians slam Merkel for backing Sarkozy By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
President Nicolas Sarkozy is not yet officially a candidate in the forthcoming French presidential election, but that hasn’t stopped German Chancellor Angela Merkel from backing him. After all what would become of ‘Merkozy’ and, more importantly, her crisis-driven vision for reshaping Europe, without her side-kick in Paris? ...Read more
German exports slump as euro crisis bites By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
The good news is that German exports in 2011 broke all records. The bad news is that they then slumped considerably in December. In fact, German exports topped 1 trillion euros for the first time ever, but the euro crisis impacted results at the end of the year, with demand for German goods dropping at the fastest rate in almost three years. ...Read more
Greeks joke, "Even God gave up on us" By Nikolia Apostolou and Polyxeni Athanasoulia, Global Post
A Greek, a Portuguese and a Spaniard ask God when their countries' debts will be paid off. God says, “In 100 years for Portugal and in 150 years for Spain.” Disappointed, they say: “But, we’ll be dead by then.” When the Greek asks, God replies, “I don't know — I'll be dead by then.” ...Read more
In a major reversal, European Central Bank could help ease Greek debt By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
With Greece on the cusp of a deal to secure a bailout, the European Central Bank is reportedly prepared to play a crucial role in reducing the country’s crippling debt burden. The ECB's move is a significant reversal, given that officials had rejected any such assistance in the past. ...Read more
Israeli officials warn of 'knee-jerk' showdown with Iran By Lia Tarachansky and Oren Dorell, Herzliya
"You cannot apply conventional standards to a non-conventional regime," Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon told officials at the end of an annual two-day gathering focusing on Israel's security and strategic concerns. Israeli leaders on Thursday made their strongest suggestions yet of possible airstrikes against Iran, citing Iranian plans to move uranium enrichment facilities into newly constructed mountain bunkers. ...Read more
Egyptians roiled by lawlessness By Michael Gunn, Washington Times
Egyptians are becoming incensed by rising lawlessness and falling security — evidenced by last week's deadly post-soccer match melee — as protests mount against the military council that has ruled the country since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak last February. ...Read more
Deadly freeze, heavy snow keep slamming Europe By Eric J. Lyman, USA Today
"I have not seen anything like this in 50 or 60 years," said Adele Zanzero, an 87-year-old retired fruit vendor, who was born in Rome. "When I was a young girl, we had snowstorms, but the city moved slower then. Now it's a fast-paced modern place, and everything just stops with weather like this." ...Read more
Anti-Putin protesters unite in pursuit of political change By Marc Bennetts, USA TODAY
The Russians who spawned the largest protests here since the fall of the Soviet Union are under no illusions that their demands for fair elections and an end to the "corrupt" government of Vladimir Putin will be met soon. "One peaceful march will not change our country," said protest organizer Boris Nemtsov. "We are ready for a long, hard struggle." ...Read more
Official Terror for Hungary's Roma By Charles McPhedran, The Global Mail
Just an hour from Budapest, the shabby Paris of Central Europe, a small town is experiencing a sort of Year Zero. Many in the town say a new era of fascist terror and violence has begun. Towards the eastern edges of the European Union, Gyöngyöspata is a Hungarian community of 2,500 people, where the far-right, nationalist, anti-Roma party Jobbik has taken power. ...Read more
Israelis face growing threats in Middle East By Sarah Lynch, USA Today
EILAT, Israel – Vacationers in this glittering holiday city by the Israel-Egypt border, stroll along a seaside promenade trying to forget their nation's troubles. "We try not to think about politics too much," said Nikhama Prat, pushing her 3-year-old son in a carriage along the wood-planked walkway. "There is always something happening with Israel. We're threatened all the time." ...Read more
Tough new eurozone treaty proposes to cap deficits By Emma Portier Davis and Renuka Rayasam, USA Today
European Union leaders agreed Monday to move forward with a plan to forge a tighter budgetary union among countries that use the euro currency, including tougher sanctions on nations that spend beyond EU-set limits. But some experts warned that the citizens of some countries may object to ceding authority to the EU as Greece sinks further in debt and the European public loses patience with a rescue that has dragged on for two years. ...Read more
Humpback whales inspire better helicopter design By Siobhan Dowling, GlobalPost
The connection between humpback whales and helicopters might not seem obvious. But a group of researchers in Germany are thinking way outside-the-box, applying nature’s design to helicopters to make them faster and more maneuverable. The team at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), in Goettingen, was eager to solve an aerodynamic conundrum: The airflow over a helicopter's main rotor blade creates a hazard called “dynamic stall.” ...Read more
Kyrgyz protest against U.S. air base cites environmental concerns By T. Umaraliev, Washington Times
Protesters outside the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek last week demanded an end to the U.S. military presence in Kyrgyzstan, waving placards that read: “Obama, respond to us!” and “Yankee, leave our land!” Organizers said the protest against the Transit Center at Manas, a U.S. military base at Manas International Airport, were driven by reports from farmers near the air base who said that planes dumping fuel during landings have damaged their crops. ...Read more
Pirate Party Docks at Berlin’s Parliament By Melanie Sevcenko, Miller-McCune
As Internet activists who stand against censorship and data retention, Germany’s Pirate Party won an impressive 9 percent of the vote last September in the Berlin elections. Since then, 15 very unconventional “Pirate” politicians have taken seats in the regional parliament, donning hoodies, sneakers, and even a few ponytails on the men. ...Read more
China mulls contribution to Europe’s rescue fund By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Angela Merkel is on her fifth visit to China in seven years. During her current, three-day trip, she appears to be as much an unofficial ambassador for the troubled European Union as visiting German chancellor. As her visit kicked off on Thursday, Merkel sought to ease Beijing’s concerns about the euro zone debt crisis ...Read more
Euro crisis impacts on Deutsche Bank profits By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann had some bad news to report on Thursday in Frankfurt. Not even Germany’s biggest bank is immune from the euro crisis, with the bank suffering a slump in profits in the fourth quarter of last year. The bank booked a net income of 186 million euros ($245.06 million) for the last quarter of 2011, down 69 percent from 2010. ...Read more
Eastern Europe shudders under icy onslaught By Olga Rudenko, Mariya Manzhos, and Beata Biel, USA Today
From Poland to the Balkans, Eastern Europeans have been hit by a Siberian cold front that has brought Arctic temperatures, sending residents scrambling for shelter and killing more than 100 people. ...Read more
Arrest in Germany’s 'National Socialist Union' neo-Nazi terror case By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Elite counter-terrorism officers have arrested another suspect in the neo-Nazi terror cell case that has shaken Germany since it came to light late last year. The 31-year-old man is accused of being an accomplice to the self-proclaimed National Socialist Underground (NSU) — the group responsible for nine murders of immigrant shopkeepers and a policewoman between 2000 and 2007. ...Read more
Unemployment soars in euro zone, plummets in Germany By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Two very different record unemployment figures were released on Tuesday, showing just how far economies in Europe are diverging. Germany’s Federal Labor Agency announced that the jobless numbers had fallen to a record low in January. On the same day Eurostat released figures saying the euro zone’s unemployment figures were the highest since the common currency was introduced. ...Read more
Merkel’s ‘masterpiece’ meets criticism back home By criticism back home Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
German Chancellor Angela Merkel may have pronounced herself delighted with the result of Monday’s EU summit, but not everyone back home is as enthusiastic about the new fiscal pact. "Considering the time frame, this was a real masterpiece," Merkel said of the deal that had first been discussed at a previous summit in December. ...Read more
Christians fear losing freedoms in Arab Spring movement By Oren Dorell and Sarah Lynch, USA Today
Visitors come to look upon the spot where Egypt's Christians — most known as Copts — believe the Holy Family found refuge after fleeing Bethlehem and assassins sent by King Herod to kill the baby Jesus. Once crowded with Christians, Cairo's Coptic quarter where Samia lives with her husband, Mounir, and two children is home to fewer than 50 Christian families. ...Read more
Germany warns Greece over bailout By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
The government here appears to be losing patience with Greece’s unconvincing attempts at reform. With the debt bailouts highly unpopular among German voters, Berlin is loath to be seen throwing good money after bad. On Monday Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble directly warned Athens that a second bailout was not inevitable. ...Read more
Germany resists calls to give more to $657B eurozone bailout By Sumi Somaskanda, USA Today
As European leaders meet today in Brussels to forge a closer fiscal union as a way to ease the European debt crisis, doubts are growing over the measure pushed by Europe's largest economy, Germany, along with France, to save the eurozone. Many EU nations say they want Germany to do more to bolster an emergency fund to back bailouts of heavy debtor nations such as Greece, Italy and Spain. ...Read more
Tax evaders in Greece, Spain and Italy better beware By Jabeen Bhatti, Nikolia Apostolou, Eric J. Lyman, Evangeline O'Regan, USA Today
In Greece, tax officials fly helicopters over residential areas to spot swimming pools of the alleged poor. In Italy, inspectors raid elite ski resorts to catch the down-and-out in their Ferraris. In Spain, taxmen snoop about homes rented to sun-seeking vacationers — then visit the owners who neglected to report the income. ...Read more
Kyrgyzstan has energy crisis during very cold winter By T. Umaraliev, Washington Times
Kyrgyzstan’s Soviet-era electrical system has been pushed beyond its limits in recent weeks, as temperatures in this Central Asian nation have hit record lows of minus-13 degrees Fahrenheit. Officials have blamed the administration of former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who was overthrown in April 2010, for failing to update the infrastructure. ...Read more
A year after Egypt's uprising, activists back at Square One? By Sarah Lynch, USA TODAY
Amal Sharaf opens her third pack of cigarettes of the day before drinking a Turkish coffee inside a smoky cafe. She hasn't slept in 24 hours, busy planning protests the day before the one-year anniversary of Egypt's 18-day revolution. "We're starting from scratch, from zero," said Sharaf, 37, who co-founded the April 6 Youth Movement that led last winter's revolt. ...Read more
Berlin revives crash-era Soffin bank bailout fund By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
The government here may not want to put up the money to expand the European bailout fund. But for its own banks, there's plenty of cash available. That was the impression on Thursday after parliament voted to revive a domestic bank bailout fund in order to ensure Germany’s financial institutions get through the euro-zone debt crisis unscathed....Read more
Scandal over Berlin police investigative methods By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
With their troubled history of two dictatorships, Germans are understandably sensitive to the notion of the police snooping into their private phone calls. So the revelations that Berlin police officers have, for years, been collecting data on thousands of cell phones has caused outrage. ...Read more
Germany’s low wages caused euro crisis, says report By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Germany may be the country contributing most to the euro-zone bailouts, but it may well be paying for a problem of its own making. That, at least, is the conclusion of the International Labor Organization (ILO). On Tuesday, the UN’s labor body said that Germany’s policy of wage restraint in recent decades had harmed its EU neighbors and contributed to the current euro debt crisis. ...Read more
Fierce criticism of state spying on leftist politicians By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
With their political roots going back to the former East German communists, Germany’s Left Party members always knew that the intelligence agencies were keeping an eye on them, but they had no idea how closely they were being watched. ...Read more
Berlin resists pressure from Lagarde and Monti to bolster European Stability Mechanism bailout fund By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Ahead of yet another make-or-break EU summit next week, the German government is resisting pressure to beef up the euro zone’s future rescue fund, the European Stability Mechanism. "The priority now is to get the ESM into operation, to conclude negotiations and see how much capital we will pay in," Chancellor Angela Merkel said. ...Read more
German minister suggests alternative to EU Tobin tax By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Relations between London and Berlin had been frosty ever since British Prime Minister David Cameron vetoed his way into isolation at last December’s summit by blocking a new EU treaty. Now, however, the German government may be seeking to build bridges, by considering an alternative to the financial transaction tax. ...Read more
Massive protests greet anniversary of Egypt’s revolution By Mike Elkin, The Washington Times
Hundreds of thousands of people marched Wednesday into Tahrir Square to mark the first anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, as many shouted their outrage at the military council that took over after Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president in February. ...Read more
Scots gain momentum for split from England By Dominic Hinde and Louise Osborne, Washington Times
For Ben Judge, Scottish independence is about something more than tartan, bagpipes or any other symbol of Scotland’s misty past. “Independence, to me, isn’t about petty flag-waving,” the 25-year-old law student said. “It’s not about tartan or shortbread or William Wallace or anything like that. It’s about democracy. ...Read more
Anti-Semitism widespread in Germany, report finds By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Anti-Semitism in Germany is not just a marginal phenomenon confined to neo-Nazis or Islamists, a new independent report has found. Rather it is rooted in the wider society, with one in five Germans being latently hostile to Jews. The group of experts commissioned by the German parliament to examine the issue published their report on Monday, and they came up with deeply worrying findings. ...Read more
Egypt struggling a year after Mubarak's overthrow By Sarah Lynch, USA TODAY
Azouz Ahmed doesn't remember a time when things were as bad as what some Egyptians call the "dark year." "I wish things would go back to the way they were under Mubarak," Ahmed, 61, said, outfitting a horse with its loose-fitting bridle in a stable on the edge of the desert. "There has been nothing good since the revolution, and there is no work." ...Read more
Germany’s jobs miracle By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Unemployment is rising in most European Union countries, as the effects of crippling sovereign debt crisis, and the austerity measures prescribed to tackle it, take their toll. Yet the bloc’s biggest and richest member has seemed almost immune to the effects of the crisis, particularly when it comes to its labor market. ...Read more
In Paris, Examining the Art of Cuisine By Molly Hannon, The New York Times
The city of light is home to the fourth annual Paris des Chefs festival, an event that seeks to blend cooking and art by having chefs prepare food with a creative partner. “The event’s aim is to address what inspires chefs outside of typical products and kitchen utensils. We invite chefs to choose their creative partner, and the range of duets is remarkable,” said Thomas Frébourg, a spokesman for Paris des Chefs. ...Read more
Strolling Berlin's Gaza Strip By Stuart Braun, Deutsche Welle
The Al Jazeera Konditorei or pastry shop on Neukölln's Sonnenalle is sparkling, a mirrored shrine to baklava, that nutty, syrupy Arab sweet that rules over Strüdel in this part of Berlin. The young woman serving me explains that this desert - of myriad varieties, I order mine with pistachio - is Palestinian, which is where her family came from before they moved to Lebanon, some time after the 1948 Israel-Arab war. ...Read more
Syrian exiles smuggling weapons, goods to revolutionaries By Karine G. Barzegar, The Washington Times
Syrian dissidents based in Lebanon have stepped up efforts to help the opposition in their country by smuggling medicine, satellite phones, cameras and weapons into Syria - and refugees and injured fighters out. From their safe houses in Beirut, Tripoli and the border village of Wadi Khaled, the dissidents remain in constant contact with activists inside Syria, as the bloody 10-month-old conflict devolves toward civil war. ...Read more
Analysts: Radical Uzbek group recruiting in Europe By Josie Le Blond, The Washington Times
German prosecutors last week charged an Afghani man with recruiting for the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) — a case that underscores how the Central Asian radical group has become an international jihadist movement with links to the Taliban and al Qaeda. ...Read more
German economics minister sees no risk of recession By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Economics Minister Philipp Roesler has insisted there is no risk of a recession in Germany, the day after he announced Berlin was lowering its growth forecast for the year to just 0.7 percent from the 1.0 percent it had predicted last October. As the European debt crisis continues to bite, the affect is finally being felt in Germany, which had so far remained remarkably unscathed. ...Read more
Trial Puts Morocco's New Charter Under Spotlight By Aida Alami, The New York Times
In a packed courtroom, Mouad Belrhouat, 24, an anti-monarchist rapper who performs as El-Haqed, or The Spiteful, was convicted last Thursday of assault and sentenced to prison and a fine. On the surface, a banal enough affair, the fine was a modest 500 dirhams, or $57, and Mr. Belrhouat was immediately freed. ...Read more
Coptic Christians in Egypt fear Islamists’ rise By Sarah Lynch, The Washington Times
In a sparse, gray room with little but two pictures of Jesus on the walls, Mona Hanna sits on the floor, remembering a night nine months ago when her house was set on fire by Muslim men brandishing guns and knives. Living in a nation marked by ongoing bouts of sectarian violence and no government protection, Ms. Hanna fears for the future of her town ...Read more
No prosecution yet of German President Christian Wulff, yet the scandal deepens By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Another day, another revelation about German President Christian Wulff’s private finances. The latest focuses on the allegedly-favorable deal his wife Bettina received when she leased a car last December. Yet despite the almost never-ending revelations, the president has also had good news this week, as prosecutors announced that there were no grounds for suspecting that he broke the law....Read more
Critics slam plans to publish Mein Kampf extracts in Germany By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Publisher Peter McGee may be insisting that his plans to publish extracts of Hitler’s viciously anti-Semitic tract Mein Kampf are aimed at “demystifying” the book, but it is certainly likely that the controversy surrounding the publication won’t be bad for business. ...Read more
Hungary’s new constitution seen as threat to democracy By Petra Hajdu and Charles McPhedran, The Washington Times
Karoly Meszaros is a Budapest taxi driver who always voted socialist until he heard some leftist lawmakers talking about stealing money from the public, as he drove them to parliament one day. “They talked about money in such a stomach-churning way that I stopped voting for them,” he said. ...Read more
On Berlin’s Literary Calendar (for English-Speakers) By Molly Hannon, New York Times
Berlin’s rich and diverse literary scene is a crucial component of the city’s creative makeup. Since reunification, it has attracted a number of established and aspiring writers — all drawn to its openness and support for artistic expression. ...Read more
S&P downgrade irks euro officials, who call for homegrown alternative By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
German minister Westerwelle calls for European rival to Standard & Poor's. Investors, it seems, were remarkably unruffled by the long-anticipated downgrading of a string of European countries on Friday, and by the similar fate that befell the euro zone’s bailout fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, on Monday. ...Read more
Auschwitz documents surface, then vanish By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Before the Nazis fled Auschwitz in January 1945, they destroyed most of the incriminating documents relating to their operation of the death camp, in which over a million people perished. Yet, it now seems a small number of surviving documents may have resurfaced — only to disappear again. ...Read more
5 more bodies found on capsized cruise ship By Eric J. Lyman and Carolyn Pesce, USA TODAY
Five more bodies were found on the capsized cruise ship Costa Concordia on Tuesday as officials released a recording of the captain making excuses to a Coast Guard official who repeatedly orders him to get back to his crippled ship. Divers located the latest victims, all of them adults wearing life jackets, in the rear of the ship near an emergency evacuation point, said Italian Coast Guard Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro. ...Read more
Little opposition seen in Sunday’s elections in Kazakhstan By Edda Schlager and Ruby Russell, The Washington Times
Sunday’s parliamentary elections presumably are aimed at moving Kazakhstan toward a more open and democractic system — but some voters here aren’t buying it. “There is no real opposition in Kazakhstan. They are all puppets of [President Nursultan] Nazarbayev,” said a 48-year-old taxi driver, who asked that his name not be used for fear of retaliation. ...Read more
Berlin techno clubs face tax nightmare By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
Berlin techno clubs including Berghain, Cookies and Weekend face steep tax bills after inspectors deny their cultural value. The clubs are an integral part of Berlin’s culture and economy. Yet instead of nurturing and supporting them, authorities appear bent on making life more difficult for the clubs. ...Read more
Berlin's Roma want more than toleration By Stuart Braun, Deutsche Welle
Roma returned to Berlin as post-war guest workers and then, when the Iron Curtain folded, thousands arrived after fleeing the Bosnian War. Many stayed, despite efforts to have them deported. It was only recently, when I attended an exhibition on Europe's Roma and Sinti population (entitled "Reconsidering Roma"), that I realized the long hard Roma reality in Berlin. ...Read more
In Italy, the poor drive Ferraris By Eric J. Lyman, Global Post
According to Italian newspapers, people reporting incomes of less than 20,000 euros (about $26,000) per year cumulatively own 188,000 supercars, (such as Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, or BMW couples), 518 private airplanes or helicopters, and some 42,000 yachts. All together, 15 million Italians — about 1 out of 4 citizens — declared no income last year. Reports indicate that nearly a fifth of that group own at least three homes. ...Read more
Occupy Budapest: Protests challenge power grab by the "Viktator" in Hungary By Charles McPhedran, Global Post
In 1989, 26-year-old Hungarian lawyer Viktor Orban gave a speech credited with firing up his countrymen to throw out their Communist dictators, leading to the revolution of that year. Now, demonstrators are protesting Orban, “the Viktator,” as his opponents call the nationalist prime minister. ...Read more
Egypt wrapping up free elections By Sarah Lynch, USA TODAY
Nearly one year after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians are concluding their first free and fair elections in decades in what analysts say is a good sign for a country wracked by poverty, injustice and at risk for religious extremism. "The elections have given Egypt a forward momentum," said Shadi Hamid of Brookings Doha Center in Qatar. ...Read more
Kissing the ring: Germany reporters capitulate to politicians By Sumi Somaskanda, Global Post
A shady loan. A furious voice mail. And an outraged tabloid editor. There’s a firestorm swirling around beleaguered German President Christian Wulff. It’s making for juicy headlines, and is threatening the future of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. ...Read more
Sleepy English town roused by murder mystery By Naomi Westland, USA TODAY
The quintessentially English sleepy hamlet of Anmer on the edge of Queen Elizabeth's favorite country estate in Sandringham, Norfolk, looks like the kind of place a young Agatha Christie might have scouted out for her next detective novel. But now, the tiny village of 29 houses and 63 residents is the setting of a real-life British murder mystery. ...Read more
New Year’s tradition fading in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan By T. Umaraliev, The Washington Times
The glass baubles, tin animals and smiling snowmen on display at the State Historical Museum in Bishkek date from the 1940s to the early 1990s, and were donated by ordinary citizens. The decorations are for New Year‘s, a holiday introduced to Central Asia during the Soviet era. ...Read more
Japan tsunami survivor goes home, finds hope in disaster zone By Christopher Johnson, Washington Times
Running a business in a battered economy in a tsunami-ravaged community is an exercise of hope and redemption for one man with a noodle shop. “There’s a risk in starting a business now in a terrible economy in a disaster zone,” Yasuhiro Ishiwata, 28, said in his shop in this seaside town that was decimated in the March 11 tidal wave. ...Read more
African diaspora adopts Berlin By Stuart Braun, Deutsche Welle
It's often said that no one in Berlin is from Berlin. But among the city's shifting ethnic milieus, a well-established African community is building a strong Berlin identity, as DW's Stuart Braun discovers. ...Read more
Torching cars called common crime in Germany By Jabeen Bhatti, USA TODAY
A German man whose mother was threatened with deportation is accused of a crime that has become a popular way in Germany for young people to express anger: burning cars. Authorities have yet to disclose why they believe Burkhart, whom Sheriff Lee Baca called the "most dangerous arsonist in Los Angeles County," set the fires over four days. ...Read more
Your Kind Of Music By Siobhán Dowling, CNBC
It is the 100th rooftop concert for tape.tv, one of Berlin's most successful media start-ups. The company, founded in 2008 by Conrad Fritzsch and Stephanie Renner, is an online music channel that has rapidly grown in just a few years. While it started out streaming music videos 24/7, it has increasingly broadened its remit, producing its own content. ...Read more
Richest Georgian finds wealth is no political protection By Jacob Resneck, The Washington Times
The richest man in this former Soviet republic was a reclusive figure, living in a $50 million compound of steel and glass with sweeping views over the presidential palace. But after he announced his intention to run for parliament in a move that threatens the political establishment, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili found that his hilltop retreat offered no protection from the full-contact sport of Georgian politics. ...Read more
Kazakhstan’s social networking restrictions spur censorship debate By Ruby Russell and T. Umaraliev, The Washington Times
Kazakhstan’s crackdown on independent media and social networking sites this month has sparked a debate about censorship in this Central Asian nation. The Kazakh government shut down Internet access and mobile phone coverage early this month in the western region of Mangistau after ongoing protests there by oil workers on strike turned violent and police killed 15 people. ...Read more
In Europe, debate grows over new nuclear power By Jason Walsh, The Washington Times
The future of atomic energy in Europe looked bleak after the nuclear disaster in Japan, but some European leaders now see nuclear power as the only clean alternative to dirty coal-fired plants or unreliable wind and solar energy. For Europe’s politicians — treaty-bound to reduce carbon emissions from coal- and oil-powered plants — the fears of nuclear meltdown and radiation are now being balanced by the need to keep the lights on and factories open across the Continent. ...Read more
Debt crisis stole Christmas in Europe By Ruby Russell, Sumi Somaskanda and Jason Walsh, The Washington Times
Debt-weary European leaders faced voters this month and warned of more hard times ahead, a forecast that made some politicians cry as others tried to comfort their citizens. “You are not responsible for the crisis,” Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny told them. ...Read more
Rapid change of Arab Spring slows in winter By Siobhan Dowling, The Washington Times
When Mohamed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian vegetable seller, set fire to himself in protest over harassment by officials last December, he unleashed a wave of long-simmering resentment across the Arab world that swept away longtime leaders in Tunisia and Egypt over the next two months. ...Read more
Glittering Grozny rises from ashes of 2 wars By Diana Markosian The Washington Times
People on the street pause to watch as the motorcade approaches Paradise Restaurant, one of Grozny’s hot spots for wedding festivities. “It’s a status symbol,” says limo driver Adam Lutheshev, 36, the limo company’s manager. “People want to be seen riding in this vehicle on their wedding day. Chechens only dreamed of things like this; now they are becoming available.” ...Read more
Violent unrest clouds Kazakhstan’s political future By Ruby Russell and T. Umaraliev , The Washington Times
Celebrations to mark Kazakhstan’s 20 years of independence last week were marred by the most significant unrest seen in the country since Soviet times, with police opening fire on oil workers who have been striking since May. Protests calling for better pay and workers rights escalated on Dec. 16 in the city of Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan’s western region of Mangistau. ...Read more
As financial crisis drags on, Greeks see a bleak future By Nikolia Apostolou, USA Today
The walls and floors are spotless and all the tools are in their places. It has the feel of an operating room rather than a car repair shop, except for the noise from birds in their cages and the news on TV. Inside, a sign hangs: "All work must be paid for in full upon completion." ...Read more
Billionaire NBA owner to challenge Putin in Russia By Marc Bennetts, USA Today As a sports fan, Mikhail Prokhorov, the majority owner of the New Jersey Nets NBA basketball franchise, knows underdogs can often pull off shock victories. The Russian billionaire has set for himself a high goal, some say impossible, in announcing he will challenge Vladimir Putin in next year's presidential election. ...Read more
Berlin Imports Coffee, and Its Culture By Molly Hannon, New York Times
The world’s second largest importer of coffee, Germany has embraced more than just beans. Coffee culture has slowly worked its way to the German capital, and the selection of specialty roasts offered in Berlin is more varied than ever. ...Read more
Queen Elizabeth II doing her part to save on energy By Naomi Westland, The Washington Times Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, whose cash-strapped country has enacted belt-tightening measures, has taken it upon herself to cut back on the perks that make the life of a royal so, um, royal. Noblesse oblige? Call it the thrift of the throne. The queen is learning how to pinch a pence. ...Read more
No extradition for Irishman accused of selling North Korean forged dollars By Jason Walsh, The Christian Science Monitor It should have been Ireland's trial of the century: The elderly leader of a communist breakaway group from the IRA, whose former party comrades are now in government, sat accused by the US State Department of distributing “superdollars” – perfect forgeries of US dollars – printed by the North Korean government to underwrite the dictatorship's failing economy. ...Read more
German father jailed for incest By Stuart Braun, The Guardian A German father has been jailed for incest with his daughter, but was cleared of rape. Adolf B, 69, dubbed the German Fritzl, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after claiming that his daughter was a "willing participant". Prosecutors had sought a 14-year sentence and convictions on 497 counts of alleged rape over 34 years, beginning when the daughter was 12. ...Read more
German neo-Nazi group's landlord arrested By Stuart Braun, The Guardian German police have arrested another suspected supporter of the neo-Nazi terror cell which was allegedly responsible for a string of murders across Germany. The man was detained in the Erzgebirg district of Saxony on suspicion of providing apartments for the three founding members of the National Socialist Underground (NSU), believed to be responsible for the murders of at least 10 people between 2000 and 2007. ...Read more
Germany links serial killings to neo-Nazis By Ruby Russell, USA TODAY
The first to die was Enver Simsek , 38, a flower vendor shot in the face in Nuremberg in 2000. The last was Halit Yozgat, 21, shot in the head in the Internet café he ran in Kassel, six years later. In between, seven more people — mostly Turks — were murdered across Germany i. ...Read more
Islamists maintain lead in Egypt By Sarah Lynch, USA TODAY
In a bustling, dusty alleyway in the Nile River city of Aswan, shop owner Shaben Ali Mohammad looks up at yet another of what is now hundreds of banners promoting Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood across the city. "The Brotherhood is good because they are from the people," he says with a smile. ...Read more
Human rights report alleges torture, abuse in Uzbekistan By By Ruby Russell, The Washington Times
Human rights officials expressed concern this week over the widespread use of torture in Uzbek prisons and called on Western governments to impose sanctions on and end dealings with the former Soviet republic’s autocratic regime. “Uzbekistan really has very few rivals in the world as a country where torture exists,” said Steve Swerdlow. ...Read more
Neo-Nazis' secret weapon: women By Siobhan Dowling, Global Post
A shocking crime spree highlights the quiet, insidious role of Germany's women neo-Nazis. “I’m the one you’re looking for,” announced Beate Zschaepe when she reported to the police in Jena, eastern Germany, on Nov. 8. ...Read more
France's "mademoiselle" war By Maya Vidon-White, Global Post
n post-DSK France, women rise up against an out-dated diminutive. Are they decades late? Shall I call you “mademoiselle?” Or “madame?” In France, it’s a seemingly innocent question that can quietly scorch the recipient. The former translates roughly as “Miss,” and is used for young or unmarried women. ...Read more
Rights groups: No true democracy yet in Egypt By Mike Elkin, USA TODAY
Egyptians may be voting in free elections for the first time in years, but the repression of critics by the military shows that true democracy does not yet exist, rights activists say. A military court on Wednesday sentenced Egyptian blogger Maikel Nabil to two years in prison for insulting the military and publishing false news. ...Read more
Berlin’s Xmas-friendly Food Shops By Molly Hannon, Slow Travel Berlin
Molly Hannon presents a Christmas-friendly selection of Berlin food shops, covering sweet treats and spicy cured meats, eye-opening espresso and domestic and imported libations… ...Read more
Large Russian protests get a response By Marc Bennetts, The Washington Times
Russia’s president on Sunday ordered an investigation of electoral fraud in last week’s parliamentary elections after thousands of protesters rallied against the election results in the most massive demonstrations in the country’s post-Soviet history. Dmitry Medvedev announced the investigation on his Facebook account, which drew thousands of angry comments and criticisms from other users of the social-networking website. ...Read more
Russians turn to Internet for uncensored news By Marc Bennetts, USA TODAY
Like most people in Russia, lawyer Tatiana Murzina knows better than to trust what she sees on television. "Whenever I watch state-run television news, it seems to me that Vladimir Putin is really great and his policies are a success," she said. "But when I check out Internet websites and social networks and see what's really going on, it's an eye-opener — to say the least." ...Read more
EU debt deal may be divisive for Europe By Ruby Russell, USA TODAY
Heads of state in Europe are congratulating each other for agreeing to a deal that will force fiscal discipline on European Union countries and impose sanctions on those that stray from the budget diktats of EU regulators. But the pact drafted largely by Germany and France and agreed to over dinner and drinks in Brussels must now be sold to average citizens, who are increasingly mistrustful of surrendering national sovereignty to the European Union, analysts said Sunday. ...Read more
Drug trade tarnishes, imperils Kyrgyzstan Tolkun Namatbaeva, The Washington Times
An increase in drug addiction and drug-related crime is taking a toll on Kyrgyzstan, which lies on a major drug-trafficking route between Afghanistan and Europe, local officials say. “We were once just a transit country for Afghan drugs. We were only involved in some latent crimes,” said Timur Iskakov, a representative of the State Service for Drug Control (SSDC). ...Read more
Islamists gain backers seeking help, not oppression By Louise Osborne and Sarah Lynch, The Washington Times
Long-oppressed Arabs may be supporting Islamist political parties, but that does not mean the United States needs to fear a new rash of governments imposing strict Islamic law, according to some analysts who reviewed voting patterns after the Arab Spring uprisings. “What voters are doing is voting for a clean break with the old regimes,” said Fawaz Gerges, director of Middle East studies at the London School of Economics. ...Read more
Kyrgyzstan urges longtime Uzbek-Kyrgyz enemies to marr By Nicolas Tanner, Washington Times
In 2010, clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in Kyrgyzstan’s southern city of Osh left dead an estimated 2,000 people, mostly Uzbeks. Today, the local government is trying to heal wounds left by the violence by encouraging the two groups to come together — in marriage. ...Read more
Africans united in amputee soccer match By Clair MacDougall, Wshinton Times
Sani Boubakar, 28, lost his right leg 10 years ago in an auto accident in his hometown of Doutchi, Niger. “On that day, I knew I would be disabled forever,” he said. He moped around his family’s home for two years until he discovered other young men missing legs but playing soccer in a new national team for the Amputee Football Federation of Africa. ...Read more
Will Europe achieve a solution at summit? By Sumi Somaskanda, USA TODAY
Greece is near bankruptcy, Italy careens toward fiscal catastrophe and the heralded currency union called the eurozone looks increasingly fragile. One country more than any other — Germany — is being called on to save it. But will it? ...Read more Croatia votes for change By Rebecca Charry Roje, Washington Times 
When negotiations over Croatia joining the European Union ended in success in June, a beaming Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor took credit and promised “from now on, everything will be different.” But when Croatians went to the polls yesterday, they didn’t thank Kosor for cinching the EU deal. ...Read more Women frustrated by lack of representation in Libya By Portia Walker, USA TODAY
After repeated delays, Libya announced the lineup for a transitional government that will draft a constitution and prepare the country for elections. Those who set up the interim government said they tried to ensure that the demands of regional and political factions were met. But there's one group that says it remains seriously under-represented in the new government: women. ...Read more
Familiarity with Putin breeding contempt By Marc Bennetts, Washington Times
Popular support for Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his ruling party is falling as voters prepare for Sunday’s parliamentary elections. “Opposition to Putin is huge, and it’s growing rapidly,” said Moscow-based journalist Alexei Korolyov. ...Read more
Winter in Berlin Stuart Braun, Deutsche Welle
I'm going to say something unthinkable. I love winter in Berlin. Is he serious, they will snigger. Winter in Berlin is hell, they will scoff. These are the naysayers now fleeing the capital, heading south, all the way to Australia if they can. ...Read more
Egypt’s Christians Prepare for New Political Climate By Mike Elkin, The New York Times
It is widely expected that the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party will dominate the political landscape. This expectation has already affected the Christian community. Since the Jan. 25 revolution that removed President Hosni Mubarak from power, 100,000 Christian families have emigrated abroad. ...Read more
Muslim Brotherhood top winner in Egyptian election By Sarah Lynch, USA TODAY
Parties that want an expansion of Islamic law captured a clear majority of the votes in Egypt's first election since the uprising that ousted longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak, according to results released Sunday. ...Read more
The mood on the Continent about closer union By Peter Popham, John Lichfield, Ruby Russell, Alasdair Fotheringham, The Independent
Italy's usual approach to European Union diktats consists of giving them a sober welcome then trying to stop them making any difference to how Italians conduct their affairs – the opposite of Britain, which bellyaches about the EU yet obeys its rules. The pattern was visible last month in the elevation of Mario Monti, right, as head of a government of unelected technocrats. ...Read more
The Merkel plan: I'll save the euro with a federal Europe By John Lichfield and Ruby Russell, The Independent
Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted yesterday that the euro could only be saved by changes in the EU treaty to impose legally enforceable budget discipline on countries using the single currency. Her words, in a landmark speech to the Bundestag, implied exactly the kind of federalist solution, over-riding national sovereignty, which was rejected the day before by President Nicolas Sarkozy. ...Read more
Plan by Merkel, Sarkozy to tweak EU pact seen as long shot By Sumi Somaskanda, USA TODAY
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have made treaty changes the linchpin of their strategy going into the summit Friday and Saturday of EU heads of state. Sarkozy and Merkel will unveil their plan today in Paris. ...Read more
Drug tourism may soon be over in Amsterdam By Melanie Sevcenko, Deutsche Welle
Long known as one of the world's most tolerant cities - especially on the issue of cannabis - Amsterdam is feeling the winds of change as the national government applies pressure to clean up the capital. The national government is taking measures to reduce cannabis use by lowering the legal amount of THC to 15 percent in the marijuana sold in coffee shops. ...Read more
At long last, Belgium nearing a government By Mark Latham and Jason Walsh, The Washington Times
BRUSSELS — In the end, the markets made them do it. After 535 days marked by months of bickering and debate, Belgian politicians possibly have found a way to form a federal government, setting the record for going without an elected national administration. Officials say they are working to create a governing coalition by this weekend. ...Read more
Italians hope new government can save their nation By Eric J. Lyman, USA TODAY
ROME – Even in a country where an inept, unstable and bickering government is nothing new, Italians say they are nervous about the future. "What will be next if the Italian economy goes bankrupt?" asked Giacomo Levy, a 33-year-old psychologist. "It's something hard to imagine. People or business can go bankrupt. But the government?" ...Read more
Egyptian voters say election means protests can now cease By Mike Elkin, The Washington Times
CAIRO — The second day of parliamentary elections here passed without incident Tuesday, with millions of Egyptians taking part in their country’s first clean voting in decades and Egypt’s military rulers taking credit for the relative calm and massive turnout. Meanwhile, many voters said the protests in Tahrir Square now can cease if a democratically elected government represents the will of the people. ...Read more
Euro finance ministers try to avert crisis By Sumi Somaskanda and Mark Latham, USA TODAY
BERLIN – As Italy sank deeper into crisis Tuesday, eurozone finance ministers met in Brussels to consider once unthinkable ideas, including creating a European government bond to save the bloc even if major players have refused to sign on. "We're actually really running out of money," said Bert Van Roosebeke, an economist with the Center for European Policy in Freiburg, Germany. ...Read more
Egypt's elections go smoothly amid protests By Sarah Lynch, USA TODAY
People waited in lines that ran hundreds of yards outside polling stations surrounded by police and soldiers in what many Egyptians regarded as the first free elections in decades. Men and women were in separate lines so long authorities extended voting by two hours. But overall the voting was smooth, election monitors said. ...Read more
'Barcomi's': How Food Shapes Who And Where We Are By Molly Hannon and Gianna Banducci, NPR
In choosing where to dine for Berlin's Sunday cake and coffee ritual, a sidewalk shop with an Italian name, American-style desserts, and an international crowd is an unexpected combination. Barcomi's, a deli, bakery, and coffee roastery in the city, offers one such story of culture. ...Read more
Reconsidering Roma in a shifting Europe By Louise Osborne, Deutsche Welle
A new Berlin exhibition featuring the work of Roma and Sinti artists aims to raise awareness about a segregated people, who continue to face discrimination. "Reconsidering Roma" runs until December 11. ...Read more
A question of election timing in Egypt By Mike Elkin, The Washington Times
Recent demonstrations and military-sponsored violence that has killed dozens of protesters have prompted many Egyptians to question whether Monday is the best time to hold the country’s first parliamentary elections since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. ...Read more
Kyrgyzstan moves to stop ‘bride’ kidnappings By T. Umaraliev, The Washington Times
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — In 1997, 22-year-old Altynai was walking home from university when a stranger asked her for help unloading his car. As she approached, a group of men forced her inside the vehicle. She struggled and cried out. When the car pulled away, she was told that she was being taken to meet her husband-to-be. ...Read more
In Egypt, measuring gap between activists, 'silent majority' By Sarah Lynch, USA Today
CAIRO – In a cafe hidden amid ancient mausoleums and tombs, Amed Awad watches clashes continue across Egypt on the screen of a blaring TV. "We see the military council as perfect and don't understand why this is happening," said Awad, in Cairo's City of the Dead, where people live among the deceased. "The protesters are destroying our country." ...Read more
Japan Tobacco accused of marketing to girls at World Cup volleyball By Christopher Johnson, The Washington Times
Anti-smoking campaigners in Japan are accusing one of the world’s leading tobacco companies of marketing products to teenage girls at World Cup volleyball events here. Japan Tobacco’s logo (JT) is on the national team uniforms, court-side digital billboards, TV ads and “gift” packages handed out to schoolgirls, mothers and children entering Yoyogi National Stadium and arenas across Japan during the World Cup, which runs until Dec. 4. ...Read more
Germany’s Harz Mountains: From Nazi horror to alternative energy By Stefan Ernsting, Global Post,
The Harz mountains have a problem. Located in central Germany, between Nuremberg and Hamburg, the region was once “famous for its industry, culture and nature,” said Florian Kroeckel, who grew up there. The range’s highest peak, the towering Brocken, was the fictional site of the witches' spring festival celebration in Goethe’s "Faust." Then came World War II. ...Read more
Cairo crowds force faster transition of power on eve of vote By Sarah Lynch, USA Today
Huge crowds of protesters chanting "Freedom - down, down with military rule!" stood in Tahrir Square on Tuesday, demanding that a new governing body replace the interim ruling military council just days before Egyptians take to the polls. "For more than 60 years, regardless of who's in power, we've been ruled by the military," said Abdel Rahman Ayad, 24, active in protests since the revolution. ...Read more
Spain elects conservative in response to debt crisis By Evangeline O'Regan, USA Today
Spanish voters kicked out the Socialist government Sunday in elections seen as a referendum on the handling of the European debt crisis, which has left Spain buckling under soaring unemployment, burgeoning debt and cuts in public benefits. It was the fifth European government - after Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Italy - to be brought down in the past year because of the debt crisis. ...Read more
Egyptians expect to 'see a lot of bloodshed' By Sarah Lynch, USA Today
Security forces fought Monday with several thousand protesters in Tahrir Square in the third straight day of violence over demands that the military set a date for turning power over to civilians. Egypt's army-appointed government handed in its resignation Monday in what the protesters took as a gesture toward addressing their complaints. ...Read more
Center-right party ousts Socialists in Spanish vote By Mike Elkin, Washington Times
The People's Party and its leader, Mariano Rajoy, unseated the governing Socialist Party on Sunday in a resounding victory for the conservative leader who has promised to tackle an economic crisis that is threatening to bankrupt Spain. “Forty-six million Spaniards are going to wage a battle against the [economic] crisis,” he told cheering supporters from a balcony outside his party’s headquarters in Madrid. ...Read more
Some fear for freedoms in post-revolution Tunisia By Portia Walker, USA Today Twenty-year-old Maryam Hamim was dressed in black and carrying a guitar case as she stood in the doorway of a fashionable café in downtown Tunis. A music student, she was one of the protesters who went out on the streets in the mass demonstrations that caused Tunisia's president of 23 years to suddenly step down and sparked a wave of protests throughout the Arab world that continue to this day. ...Read more
Rebels step up attacks against isolated Assad By Louise Osborne, Washington Times
Reports of rocket-propelled grenades striking the headquarters of Syria’s ruling party early Monday underscore the Syrian rebels’ mounting brazenness in President Bashar Assad’s 8-month-old crackdown on dissent. Meanwhile, the Syrian foreign minister’s criticism Sunday of the Arab League over its suspension of Damascus highlights Syria’s increasing isolation in the international community. ...Read more
Can Mario Monti save Italy? By Eric J. Lyman, Global Post
Until now, Mario Monti was best known as the man who took on General Electric a decade ago, at the height of the company's power. Back then, as Europe’s competition czar, he stood up to GE's legendary CEO Jack Welch, dramatically blocking the company’s proposed $40 billion takeover of rival Honeywell. ...Read more
FIGHTING FOR ATTENTION -Ljubljana has modern art lovers in its sights By Suzanne Munshower, CNBC Magazine
With just 280,000 inhabitants – less than a quarter of the population of Prague – Ljubljana is one of the EU’s smaller capital cities, but the Slovenian metropolis has always thought big. And on 26 November, with the opening of the Museum of Contemporary Art, it will throw its hat into the ring to establish itself as one of Europe’s major art centres. ...Read more
New terror attacks threaten Kazakhstan’s security By Ruby Russell and Ajar Baltagulova, Washington Times
A spate of shootings and explosions has forced Kazakhstan’s long-suppressed debate on terror into the open, causing complications for the country’s autocratic ruler at home and abroad. Last weekend, a suicide bomber in the southern city of Taraz shot dead seven people before blowing himself up. ...Read more
France Is Sending North African Graduates Home By Aida Alami, New York Times
Nabil Sebti, a 25-year-old Moroccan graduate of HEC Paris, one of the best and most competitive business schools in Europe, has started two businesses in France, one while still a student and one just after graduation. Yet he found himself catapulted back to Morocco this year after being denied a work permit. “What is going on is unthinkable for a country like France, one that encourages republican and extremely strong humanist values,” said Mr. Sebti, who studied in Paris on a student visa. ...Read more
Ireland's budget leak to Germany brings home some harsh realities By Siobhán Dowling, The Guardian
Loss of sovereignty may be an abstract notion, but this week Irish people were confronted with what it means in reality. Revelations that draft proposals for the Irish December budget had been circulated in a German parliamentary committee were met with horror in Ireland. It has since emerged that they were sent to every finance minister in the EU. ...Read more
Surplus of pessimism may cost Spain’s ruling Socialists at polls By Mike Elkin Spanish voters on Sunday are expected to dismiss the Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and usher in the conservative People's Party (PP) and its leader, Mariano Rajoy. Mr. Zapatero’s Socialist party (PSOE), which has been in power for eight years, has borne the brunt of public blame for Spain’s increasingly perilous economic situation, which has tainted the party’s leadership candidate, Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba. ...Read more
Observers predict Syria is headed for civil war By Sarah Lynch
As the situation in Syria gets bloodier and Syrian leader Bashar Assad becomes increasingly isolated internationally, some observers say the country is on the verge of a civil war instigated by the regime. "I think we've now reached the stage where we are getting a militarization of the uprising," said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center, a think tank in Qatar. ...Read more
Europe debt crisis spreads to stronger economies By Jason Walsh
Just days ago, Greece and Italy's new governments were hailed as the solution to the European debt crisis, but markets have instead responded with more turmoil. Observers characterize the phenomenon as a "contagion" that has now spread well beyond Europe's weaker economies. They say the trend suggests that no economy is immune to the crisis. ...Read more
Is a German 'Fourth Reich' emerging? By Siobhan Dowling
It may have been a bad idea to send a German. And his name certainly didn’t help matters. When Horst Reichenbach arrived in Athens recently to head a new European Union task force to help the country deal with its debt, the Greek media instantly dubbed him “Third Reichenbach.” Cartoons appeared of him in Nazi uniform. ...Read more
Greek, Italian plans bypass voters By Jabeen Bhatti and Nikolia Apostolou
More democracy or less? That's the question Europe faces as it wrangles with a spiraling debt crisis that has cost the Italian and Greek leaders their jobs. Monday, the new prime minister for Greece presented his plans to parliament for a new "technical" government. Italy's new prime minister nominee was in talks to create what he called a "non-political" Cabinet of experts to deal with its financial instability. ...Read more
Suspected founder of new-Nazi cell held as Merkel pledges inquiry into killings By Siobhan Dowling
Woman allegedly co-founded National Socialist Underground group, accused of murdering 10 people. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, promised a full investigation on Monday after it was revealed that a cell of neo-Nazis apparently carried out a series of killings over seven years without being detected. ...Read more
Why I will miss Berlusconi By Eric J. Lyman
The most difficult period in my 12 years as a journalist in Italy started in 2006, when Romano Prodi replaced Silvio Berlusconi as the country’s prime minister. Prodi was more than qualified for the job — he was a former European Commission president and had already served as prime minister. But after five years of Berlusconi’s off-the-cuff, colorful, and shocking brand of politics, writing about any other political leader was like composing an essay about waiting for the bus. ...Read more
Puma aiming to produce compostable trainers and T-shirts By Louise Osborne
German sportswear manufacturer working on designs for shoes and clothing that can be buried at the bottom of the garden Your flowers love it, it's environmentally friendly and saves on rubbish collection. And soon you will be able to add your worn-out trainers and T-shirts to the carrot peels, potato skins and eggshells on the compost heap at the end of your garden, if German sportswear manufacturer Puma gets its way. ...Read more
Living with remembrance in the capital By Stuart Braun
A great war leaves a country with three armies - an army of cripples, an army of mourners, and an army of thieves, according to a German proverb. But today, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year, when the so-called victors will stop to remember the armistice that ended World War I, Germany, as usual, will not commemorate the day. The German capital is marked by a conspicuous absence of commemoration for its fallen soldiers and citizens. ...Read more
Tajik Muslims bristle over anti-fundamentalism efforts By Rafael Ignatov and Nurhan Kocaoglu
Tajikistan's government is aiming to combat Islamic fundamentalism in an effort that many Tajiks say is counterproductive and interferes with their religious lives. The government’s effort includes banning children from praying in mosques, establishing a strict dress code for Muslim pilgrims and building a giant mosque in the capital, Dushanbe. ...Read more
In Indonesia, religious peace is at risk, says leader By Ruby Russell
Indonesia has seen a sharp increase in religious violence over recent years, with radical Muslim groups targeting both Christians and members of the minority Ahmadiyah community. But at an ecumenical seminar in Germany, the chair of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (CCI) explained that the country's religious leaders have a common aim in promoting tolerance and harmony. ...Read more
Iconic Berlin Bauhaus settlement gets new lease on life By Stuart Braun
The Bauhaus architects designed some revolutionary social housing estates in Weimar-era Berlin, six of which have received UNESCO world heritage status. The most iconic of these estates has just received a facelift. ...Read more
Italians cast doubt on PM's resignation; market reacts By Eric J. Lyman
A day after Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi promised to bow out of the country's political picture sooner rather than later, Italians said they are not convinced he will actually leave. "I am starting to think they will have to carry Berlusconi out on a stretcher or at gunpoint," said Pier Luigi Bascolo, a 63-year-old retired taxi driver. "I don't think he's going to walk out on his own." ...Read more
As Italy's debt cost dangerously soars, what's next after Berlusconi? By Eric J. Lyman
Despite Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's announcement Tuesday that he will step down, it’s still anyone’s guess how long he will manage to hold on to his job. But one thing is clear: after 17 years in Italy’s political spotlight, Berlusconi’s often mesmerizing political drama has reached its last act. ...Read more
Greece's two main parties negotiating over who will be PM By Nikolia Apostolou and Thodoris Skoulis
Greece's two main parties were negotiating Monday over who will be the country's new prime minister after Socialist leader George Papandreuou agreed to step down and allow a eurozone cash-infusion to prevent the country's default temporarily. But many Greeks question whether a new unity government between two opposing parties would help their situation. ...Read more
Italy's Berlusconi to resign after economic changes OK'd By Eric J. Lyman
It wasn't the charges of tax evasion, bribery, influence peddling or even paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl that brought down Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. On Tuesday, Europe's fast-growing debt crisis claimed its latest victim in Berlusconi, who has led Italy for 11 of the past 17 years. He vowed to resign after shepherding the country's economic austerity package through Parliament, creating at least some short-term relief for Europe's fourth-largest economy. ...Read more
Ukraine leader defends straddling East, West in international relations By Eric J. Lyman
Ukraine’s prime minister says he sees no conflict in his country’s pursuit of better relations with the market-diverse European Union, which has criticized the government’s jailing of a pro-democracy advocate, and oil-rich Central Asia, where authoritarian regimes remain strong since the 1991 fall of communism. “Ukraine is in between these two blocs, and it is in our self-interest to live peacefully with both,” Mykola Azarov said. ...Read more
Two killed in quelling protest on eve of Liberian presidential runoff By Robbie Corey-Boulet
At least two people were killed Monday at the headquarters of Liberia’s main opposition party when police used live ammunition to disperse demonstrators on the eve of a runoff presidential election. The race pits incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last month, against Winston Tubman of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC). ...Read more
Italy: Fighting mafia violence with tourism By Caroline Chaumont
In pop culture, the mafia may enjoy an image romanticized by the Sopranos, the Godfather and tabloid coverage of dapper dons. Dealing with organized crime in the real world, however, is as much fun as living down the street from the Crips and Bloods. In Italy, groups like Sicily’s Cosa Nostra are destructive as well as economically vexing. ...Read more
Casino ban pleases, irks Kyrgyz citizens By T. Umaraliev
Kyrgyzstan has enacted a ban on casinos that supporters say will ease the negative effects of gambling on Kyrgyz society, but opponents argue will leave thousands unemployed and boost organized crime. Interim President Roza Otunbayeva signed the legislation Tuesday. ...Read more
U.K.’s Cameron faces rebellion over European Union By Naomi Westland
British Prime Minister David Cameron faced a humiliating rebellion by Conservative lawmakers after a vote on withdrawing from the European Union split his party. Just days ahead of emergency talks on a European debt-crisis plan, Mr. Cameron last week ordered Conservative members of Parliament to oppose a motion calling for a referendum on EU membership. ...Read more
Papandreou backs down on vote for Greece's bailout deal By Jabeen Bhatti and Nikolia Apostolou
Under international pressure, Greece's prime minister Thursday gave up his plan for a nationwide vote on a bailout deal for his debt-ridden country that European leaders fretted would cause a financial meltdown. However, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou also forced his political foes to back down on their opposition to the spending cuts and tax hikes that come with the bailout funded largely by Germany and other European nations. ...Read more
Greece sticks to bailout vote, as U.S., Europe weigh options By Ruby Russell, Jabeen Bhatti and Nikolia Apostolou
Greece's prime minister on Wednesday won backing for a surprise national vote on a European-funded bailout, but many say opposition to benefits cuts and foreign oversight may sink the package and prevent Europe from resolving its financial crisis. "We will not implement any program by force, but only with the consent of the Greek people," Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said after his Cabinet approved the public referendum. ...Read more
Kyrgyzstan election splits north, south By Nurhan Kocaoglu and T. Umaraliev
Kyrgyzstan’s north-south political rift is on display, as defeated southern candidates call for a new presidential election because of irregularities in Sunday’s vote that returned a northern politician to power. “There were tens of thousands of people shut out of the vote,” said defeated presidential candidate Adahkan Madumarov. ...Read more
Greek vote on debt deal puts plans in doubt By Jabeen Bhatti, Ruby Russell and Nikolia Apostolou
The European leaders who cobbled together a deal over dinner meetings in Brussels with bankers, investors and political elites to solve the Greek financial crisis and save the European Union forgot one thing: politics. "It is not for others to decide but the Greek people to decide the fate of this agreement," Prime Minister George Papandreou told the electorate in Athens just days after the EU thought he had agreed to push the deal through the Greek parliament. ...Read more
Guten appetit By Molly Hannon
Berlin's food culture is as diverse as its population – to the point where its traditional cuisine often gets overlooked. Heading on a mission to find German food in the capital can uncover some pleasant surprises, since the city offers abundant opportunities to test your notions of what constitutes traditional German cuisine. ...Read more
Berlusconi survives, keeps bankers away By Eric J. Lyman
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi avoided the collapse of his government with a mix-and-match reform package to keep the European creditors at bay. It was a political compromise that left his ruling coalition intact and included more than a touch of the survival instinct that has marked his 17-year political career. ...Read more
Kyrgyz voters have little hope for change in Sunday election By Edda Schalger
Kyrgyz voters go to the polls Sunday to elect a new president in what is seen as a landmark election in the region but what locals dismiss as not bringing real change to the country following last year’s uprising. “They fired bullets here in April last year and 87 people died, but unfortunately the entire revolution was in vain,” says former politician Edil Baisalov, ...Read more
Celebrating Wine in Alto Adige By Molly Hannon
Italy has much to entice the intrepid oenophile. Tuscany and the Piedmont tend to rule the roost when it comes to wine, but it is the German- and Italian-speaking region of Alto Adige that hosts one of Europe’s most prestigious wine events: the Merano Wine Festival, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, Nov. 4 to 7. ...Read more
With EU plan set: Let the doubting now begin By Jabeen Bhatti and Jason Walsh
Although European leaders seemed pleased with themselves after reaching a deal to combat the spiraling eurozone debt crisis, the question the morning after was: Is it enough? No, analysts say. ...Read more
German authorities plant spyware on citizens’ computers By Siobhan Dowling
It’s the stuff of modern nightmares. A seemingly innocuous email plants malicious spyware on your computer, allowing strangers to not only access your private communications but also to spy on you in your own home. The fact that such invasive technology was deployed by officials in Germany has caused uproar here. ...Read more
EU leaders tackle debt crisis By Jabeen Bhatti, Jason Walsh and Sumi Somaskanda
European leaders worked feverishly into the early morning today on a deal to solve the continent's debt crisis and prevent it from igniting a new global financial meltdown. After hours of meetings, European Union leaders agreed to guarantee more lending to shaky governments and force financial institutions to forgive even more debt owed by Greece, whose descent toward bankruptcy started the crisis. ...Read more
The Futurists: Milk from clothing By Melanie Sevcenko
BERLIN, Germany — During her high school years, German fashion designer and microbiologist Anka Domaske spent a year on a cow farm in Idaho. Milking cows wasn’t exactly her forte. But later, her experience doing so would inspire success. ...Read more
Action to rescue euro countries may not save the EU By Jabeen Bhatti, Jason Walsh and Sumi Somaskanda
As European Union leaders try to come to an agreement over a package of measures to stop the spiraling debt crisis — agreed to in advance by the German parliament Wednesday — they are also pushing for steps to bring the continent closer together that some say are actually increasing the divisions in the bloc. ...Read more
Germany's autobahn churches: "filling stations" for the soul By Ruby Russell
Germans are famous for their love of fast cars. But for those needing a little respite from the country's high-speed highways, autobahn churches offer a unique brand of peace and sanctuary for the modern traveler. "We seek to care for our guests fully -- not just for their cars but also for their body, soul and spirit," said Anna Isabell Strohofer, whose parents opened the ecumenical Light on Our Path Church ten years ago. ...Read more
Islamist party seeks coalition in Tunisia By Akram Khalifa and Jabeen Bhatti
TUNIS, Tunisia – After preliminary results Tuesday showed the Islamists winning 43% of the Tunisian vote in the Arab Spring's first free elections, many wonder what's next. Sharia law? Polygamy? An end to women's rights? Not likely, experts say. ...Read more
Leipzig documentary festival doesn't shy from life's big questions By Melanie Sevcenko
Who are we and where do we belong? DOK Leipzig, Germany's leading documentary film festival, explored the questions that are central to life. As the largest festival of its kind in Germany, DOK Leipzig, which came to a close on Sunday, has brought stories from all breeds and broods since the Club for Filmmakers of the German Democratic Republic founded it in 1955. ...Read more
Tunisia votes after first Arab Spring By Akram Khalifa and Jabeen Bhatti
TUNIS, Tunisia — Ten months after they sparked a revolution that spread to become the Arab Spring, Tunisians went to the polls Sunday in elections widely seen as a test for the small North African nation and the entire region. Voters formed long lines that were peaceful but slow-moving. ...Read more
Japanese couple stuck with giant tugboat in front yard By Christopher Johnson -
An elderly couple here are learning to live with a strange lawn ornament dumped in their front yard seven months ago in the tsunami that devastated Japan’s northeast coast. A 230-ton tugboat that is high and wide enough to cast a shadow over their house has become a tourist attraction, but Kinichi Oikawa, 82, and his wife, Shizuko, 80, want the boat owner to get the vessel off their property....Read more
Turkmen chat sites worry parents, teachers By Anna Soltan
ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan — Turkmen's government has cracked down on websites that criticize the repressive regime, but the Internet’s potential to lure young people from traditional dating and marriage practices is the key concern for many parents and teachers. ...Read more
Switzerland's extreme-right poised for historic win in Sunday elections By Meritxell Mir
ZURICH, Switzerland — “If I see you on the street, I am going to run you over with my car, you piece of shit.” That virulent email arrived on Sept. 18, says Ivanic Petrusic, a socialist lawmaker in the regional parliament of the canton of Aargau. It was one of more than 200 similar messages that Petrusic has received in recent months. ...Read more
Libya celebrates, worries about future after Gadhafi By Clare Morgana Gillis, Patrick Wells and Oren Dorell
MISRATA, Libya – After Friday noon prayers, dozens of men lined up outside Misrata's African market to catch a glimpse of their late former leader Moammar Gadhafi, who lay inside in a meat locker. The crowd was excited and dressed in long robes for the prayer, chatting with each other and clutching cameras. ...Read more
Gadhafi era ends: What's next for Libya? By Clare Morgana Gillis, Jim Michaels and William M. Welch
His 42 years of despotic rule already at an end, deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi ran out of places to hide Thursday and was killed after being cornered by rebels in his hometown stronghold of Sirte. Gadhafi's bloody finish, documented in grisly cellphone photos that swept the globe after being sent by rebels at the scene, triggered bullets of celebration and cries of "Allaha akbar!" or "God is great!" across his battered North African nation. ...Read more
Elections demonstrate the big step that Tunisia has taken By Akram Khalifa and Jabeen Bhatti
TUNIS – Horns, banners, door-to-door campaigning and thousands of candidates. Tunisia will hold its first free elections Sunday, and the country that sparked the "Arab Spring" is taking a big, uncertain yet joyous step forward, locals say. "What has happened in Tunisia since January is enormous," said Akram Malek, 37, a lawyer in the city of Sousse on the coast. ...Read more
Paris tests Autolib' electric car-sharing program By Melanie Sevcenko
France caught the world's attention when it launched its Vélib' bike-sharing scheme in 2007. Now Paris is preparing another mobility revolution. It's testing a new electric car-sharing program to be launched in December. ...Read more
Britons pin economic troubles on immigrant policies By Naomi Westland
LONDON — British political leaders from the left and the right are blaming liberal immigration policies for driving down living standards amid a financial crisis that has prompted the Conservative-led government to cut welfare programs to prevent fiscal collapse. ...Read more
Libya's new government still hasn't found Gadhafi By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya — It has been almost two months since Tripoli fell to Libya's revolutionary forces but ousted ruler Moammar Gadhafi remains at large. There's no shortage of speculation about his whereabouts, but there is a dearth of credible information. ...Read more
Wheels of dreams: why aren’t electric cars catching on? By Sumi Somaskanda
Tiny, sporty, glamorous and green – this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show transformed itself into a vast playground for the auto industry’s latest battery-powered toys. From Audi to Hyundai, major carmakers showcased cutting-edge technology: lightweight vehicles that look good, drive fast and, most importantly, produce little to no emissions at all. ...Read more
In Europe, economic meltdown tears at unity By Jabeen Bhatti and Nikolia Apostolou
ATHENS – There's a ditty being passed around in Greece these days that captures the mood of "lazy" Southern Europeans toward their "saviors" to the north. Sung to the tune of Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive: At first we took the aid We were petrified Kept thinking we could only live with Germans by our side ...Read more
Serb teen blogs about democracy By Melanie Sevcenko
Unlike most teens, 13-year old Belgrade native Rastko Pocesta is concerned about the direction of his nation. So much so, that he’s devoted himself to the life of a political commentator and human rights activist. ...Read more
Upcoming election raises specter of terror in Kyrgyzstan By Ruby Russell, Nurhan Kocaoglu and Tolkun Namatbaeva
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - The foiling of a terror plot by Islamic extremists in southern Kyrgyzstan over the weekend has underscored ethnic and regional tensions before presidential elections in Central Asia's only parliamentary democracy. The National Security Committee of Kyrgyzstan (GKNB) detained 11 members of the Islamic Jihad Union on Oct. 8 as part of a security operation in the southern province of Osh, according to GKNB leader Keneshbek Dushebayev. ...Read more
European men losing jobs faster than women By Jason Walsh
Since the "great recession" hit, the labor market in Europe has been shedding jobs hand over fist, and it appears men may have it worse than women, reports a new European Union study. A report from the EU's employment research unit Eurofound says women fared better than men in the labor market during the recession. Of the five million jobs shed between 2008 and 2010, four million were held by males, one million by females. ...Read more
Slovakia to switch vote on EU bailout fund By Nikolia Apostolou and Dimitris Bounias
ATHENS – Public-sector workers took over government buildings and transit workers prepared to walk off the job Wednesday on a day when the European Union reached a deal to expand a bailout fund to prevent Greece from going bankrupt. "I think the politicians are starting to slowly understand what the stakes are but whatever they're doing is almost already obsolete," said poet Tilemachos Tsardakas. ...Read more
Syrians abroad accuse envoys of intimidation By Louise Osborne
LONDON — Syrians protesting against the Assad regime in London and elsewhere abroad say that Syrian Embassy officials have harassed them and that their families in Syria have been intimidated, beaten and even tortured. Ghias Aljundi, who fled Syria 13 years ago, said he received phone calls from people claiming to be from the embassy after he got involved in the almost-weekly protests in Britain’s capital. ...Read more
Nobel-winner Sirleaf speaks out against critics By Robbie Corey-Boulet
MONROVIA—Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has spoken out against critics who said she didn’t deserve to win the Nobel Peace Prize. “I’ve been in this political struggle for three decades, and if the Nobel Peace Prize did their research, they concluded that I’ve been consistent in fighting for the rights of the individual, in fighting for democracy in this country,” she said in an interview at her Monrovia compound on Friday. ...Read more
Germany expands bailout fund to $287B By Jabeen Bhatti
BERLIN – Germany's hotly debated decision to get behind a $287 billion package to prevent debt-laden European nations from going bankrupt came as Greek workers vowed to fill the streets to protest the tax hikes and benefits cuts that come with the money. "The euro is our common future," Chancellor Angela Merkel said before the vote in the German parliament. ...Read more
Nobel award adds to turmoil of vote in Liberia By Robbie Corey-Boulet
MONROVIA, Liberia — Fresh from being named a joint winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf dismissed critics who have called the prize undeserved and said she is ready to take on all challengers in Tuesday’s election. In an interview in the capital, Monrovia, on Friday, Mrs. Johnson-Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female head of state, said she was “excited” and “humbled” by the Nobel announcement. ...Read more
Arrrgh! Pirate party takes Berlin By Siobhan Dowling
Hoody-wearing hackers unexpectedly become legislators. - The band of internet-freedom activists shocked themselves and pretty much everyone else when they won close to 9 percent in the Berlin state election on Sept. 18, allowing them to send 15 very unconventional new politicians to the regional parliament. ...Read more
Libya at a standstill until Sirte falls By Portia Walker
SIRTE, Libya — The fighters ran from building to building, ducking as weapons fire came in over the rooftops around them. Shouting "Allahu Akbar (God is great)," they pounded nearby apartment blocks with machine gun fire in one of the few parts of Moammar Gadhafi's hometown they have yet to subdue. ...Read more
Uzbek military aid raises human rights concerns By Nurhan Kocaoglu
BERLIN — The Senate Appropriations Committee last week approved a waiver to restrictions on military aid to the Uzbek government in a move to help enhance supply routes to American troops in Afghanistan, but opponents say it will only prop up the autocratic Uzbek regime. ...Read more
Shrinking lake in Kazakhstan portends hard, dry times ahead By Edda Schlager
KUIGAN, Kazakhstan — In eastern Kazakhstan, a lake is slowly dying. But in this village of 1,800 people on the southwestern tip of Lake Balkhash, fishermen don’t believe the lake is shrinking. “We call it the ‘ocean’ because if you’re out on the water in a storm, you realize it’s just as dangerous,” says Oleg Schumacher, one of the village’s 200 fishermen. ...Read more
Berlin Club Gives New Meaning to Dining at Home By Molly Hannon
In a dimly lit room, a table is set for 14 hungry strangers. Flutes of prosecco and small plates of fried green tomatoes appear and relieve the predinner tension as guests — Berliners and travelers alike — sip, sample and chat. ...Read more
The word from... Berlin By Siobhán Dowling
Last November it looked unlikely that mayor Klaus Wowereit, the man who coined Berlin’s unofficial “poor but sexy” slogan, would hold on to his job. After 10 years at the helm of a coalition of his Social Democrats and the Left party, he had a fight on his hands. ...Read more
Textile technology - A fresh new look By Siobhán Dowling
Clothes made out of milk, floor tiles that generate electricity, high-speed Wi-fifor remote areas and eco-friendly minicabs. Think of a glass of milk and the associations are overwhelmingly positive: natural, creamy, almost luxurious. Now a Hanover-based company, Qmilch, is applying those connotations to the wardrobe. ...Read more
Strike closes down most of Greece By Nikolia Apostolou and Dimitris Bounias
THENS – Thousands of Greek workers shut down schools, hospitals and museums Wednesday to protest spending cuts that the government says are needed to prevent a bankruptcy that could roil global financial markets. ...Read more
Arab Art as an Early Indicator of Revolution By Aida Alami
MARRAKESH, MOROCCO — Newly deposed Arab dictators might have been well advised to have paid attention to the works of their home-grown artists more closely: Many visualized the revolutions in their countries long before they happened. ...Read more
In court, plaintiff's lawyer calls Amanda Knox a 'she devil' By Eric Lyman
PERUGIA, Italy – A lawyer for a man who Amanda Knox said killed her British roommate described Knox in court Monday as a "she devil" who accused her client to cover up her own crime. Closing arguments ended this past weekend in the appeal case of Knox, 24, the Seattle exchange student who has served nearly four years in prison for allegedly killing Meredith Kercher in a drug-induced sex game gone wrong. ...Read more
Town in Italy reacts to Amanda Knox acquittal By Eric Lyman
The appeals court agreed in a verdict that set her free, but some Italians in the Umbrian hill town of Perugia did not. "Assassina!Assassina!" shouted dozens of people who had gathered outside the courthouse, using the feminine form of the term even though Knox's co-defendant and former boyfriend was acquitted as well. ...Read more
Currywurst: The Evolution Of Berlin's Popular Street Food By Molly Hannon
The traditional German street food known as "currywurst" provides such a case, allowing outside observers an opportunity to taste something unique, indulge in a little post-war history, and discover how the universal need for food can bind individuals and groups together. ...Read more
Amanda Knox freed after murder conviction overturned By Michael Winter
An Italian court has overturned the murder convictions of 24-year-old Amanda Knox of Seattle and her former Italian boyfriend in the 2007 slaying of Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher. Both were released immediately. ...Read more
Putin’s return to power could strain ‘reset’ with West By Marc Bennetts
MOSCOW — Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s decision to seek the presidency in 2012 raises the specter of increased tensions betweenRussia and the West and the possibility of the former KGB officer remaining in power until 2024. “Putin’s style is very different from [current President Dmitry]Medvedev’s — it’s more confrontational, more combative and aggressive,” said Fiona Hill, a Russia specialist and senior fellow at theBrookings Institution in Washington. ...Read more
Spain’s stolen baby scandal By Meritxell Mir
BARCELONA, Spain —Docs and nuns took thousands of infants at birth and sold them to childless couples. The painful truth is now emerging. At the moment, more than 900 cases are being investigated by regional prosecutors across the country. That amount is increasing every month. ...Read more
What now for the cause of Irish freedom? By Jason Walsh
A new book from a former member of the Provisional IRA provides a valuable history of the struggle for a united Ireland but comes up short in its analysis of how to move Irish politics forward today. ...Read more
Serbia’s upcoming Gay Pride Parade is haunted by last year’s violence By Melanie Sevcenko
Next weekend, the second official Gay Pride Parade is scheduled to take place in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. But members of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender group, or LGBT, are worried what will happen if it goes ahead. ...Read more
Europeans tell Obama ‘don’t blame us’ By Stuart Braun
BERLIN — European leaders and media are challenging PresidentObama’s comment this week that Europe’s financial crisis is “scaring the world.” “I don’t think Europe’s problems are America’s only problems,” German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble said late Tuesday. “It’s always easier to give other people advice.” ...Read more
Gadhafi loyalists empty entire cities in fear of rebels By Portia Walker
TAWARGHA, Libya – On the signs beside the highway that runs along Libya's Mediterranean coast, the name of one town has been painted over. Tawargha, which was once home to around 30,000 people, is now deserted. Like a number of other towns in Libya that supported toppled former leader Moammar Gadhafi, the former residents have fled and rebels have looted the town. ...Read more
SVP to immigrants: Don’t mess with the Swiss flag By Meritxell Mir
The vice president of pro-immigrant organization Secondos Plus has infuriated far-right politicians and others in Switzerland with his “humorous” calls for a new Swiss flag, contributor Meritxell Mir reports. What started as a joke to provoke reflection on Swiss values has turned into a nightmare for Ivica Petrusic and Secondos Plus, an association for children of immigrants born in the country. ...Read more
Pope’s visit to German homeland evokes range of emotions By Nurhan Kocaoglu
BERLIN — Reverence, joy, protests and anger: Pope Benedict XVI’s first state visit to Germany, which wrapped up Sunday, left very few Germans indifferent. “It was amazing, all the people praying together there - it was something special,” said Franziska Gosda, 15, one of 70,000 attending the pope’s first Mass of the tour at Olympic Stadium in Berlin. ...Read more
In court, plaintiff's lawyer calls Amanda Knox a 'she devil' By Eric Lyman
PERUGIA, Italy – A lawyer for a man who Amanda Knox said killed her British roommate described Knox in court Monday as a "she devil" who accused her client to cover up her own crime. Closing arguments ended this past weekend in the appeal case of Knox, 24, the Seattle exchange student who has served nearly four years in prison for allegedly killing Meredith Kercher in a drug-induced sex game gone wrong. ...Read more
Youths of Fukushima wonder whether to stay or leave By Christopher Johnson
FUKUSHIMA, Japan — Ko Saito is in his final year of high school in Fukushima and sees a bleak future for his native province. “I am very scared of the radiation,” the 18-year-old said while waiting with friends near the city’s train station. They discussed whether to stay or leave a region devastated by the meltdown of a nuclear power plant that was crippled by a killer tsunami six months ago. ...Read more
Residents of Gadhafi's hometown are caught in the middle By Portia Walker
SIRTE, Libya – Mohammed al Mselem, 45, sat outside of his hometown here with his two young daughters, surrounded by rebels on the hunt for former Libyan dictator Moammmar Gadhafi. A former mathematics teacher, he said essential supplies had started running out in the city, populated with forces that do not want to surrender to live under rebel rule. "There's not much petrol, not much food." ...Read more
Why the pope angers Germans By Sumi Somaskanda
BERLIN — Amid fanfare and pomp, German-born Pope Benedict XVI will make his first state visit to his homeland Thursday. But his triumphant return is marred by indifference, controversy and even mass protests. The pontiff might be more unpopular in his native country than anywhere else in Europe. ...Read more
Pope reaches out to other faiths in visit to his homeland By Jabeen Bhatti
BERLIN – Pope Benedict XVI began his first state visit to his homeland Thursday by reaching out to members of other faiths, meeting with German Jewish leaders in Berlin where he stressed that what the two faiths "hold in common is not an insignificant part of their traditions." ...Read more
Europe's Forced Retirees Not Going to Go Gently By Jabeen Bhatti
OSLO—Karin Johansen, a 68-year-old insurance adviser, didn't want to retire. Her employer, Norwegian insurance company Gjensidige, said she must, and the Norwegian Supreme Court agreed. Her case is one of a growing number across Europe involving older workers challenging forced retirement even as governments slowly realize they may need them after all. ...Read more
Germany: Pope visits Should I stay or should I go By Nurhan Kocaoglu
BERLIN - Home to an openly gay mayor, Germany's biggest Muslim population and the Catholic school where a major child sex abuse scandal before spreading across the country, Berlin seems to be an unlikely first stop for Pope Benedict XVI's four-day state visit - his first - to his native country. ...Read more
Sing Blackbird - A Hip Haven in Berlin By Molly Hannon
BERLIN - In the city of Berlin, where the creative ferment is in perpetual heat, opening a designer studio or a gourmet café that serves exceptional kuchen and eye-opening espresso is nothing new. Distinguishing oneself in such a milieu may seem daunting, but for Diana Durdic and Tasha Arana, owners and founders of the café/clothing store Sing Blackbird, this was as easy as pie–or in their case, cake. ...Read more
Uzbeks note independence, continuing misery under Karimov By Gemma Poerzgen
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — Uzbekistan celebrated the 20th anniversary of its independence earlier this month, but many say there is little to celebrate. “There is the same leader, the same oppressive system, the same kind of corruption, the same massive human rights abuses,” said Andrew Stroehlein, communications director for the International Crisis Group in Brussels. ...Read more
Weinstein By Molly Hannon
BERLIN - Upon entering Weinschenke Weinstein, you immediately sense that this is not your average German bistro or chi chi Prenzlauer Berg dive. It exudes the air of a restaurant that is fine and feathered with wine barrels and old vintages bottles lining the wall paired with simple wooden tables and furnishings. ...Read more
Germany faces backlash from closing nuclear plants By Jason Walsh and Jabeen Bhatti
BERLIN —Germany’s recent retreat from nuclear power in the wake ofJapan’s ongoing crisis already is causing legal and economic headaches. On Monday, the Financial Court in Hamburg expressed doubts about the constitutionality of a new federal tax on nuclear fuel rods - a ruling hailed as a victory by nuclear power plant operators. ...Read more
Pirate party snatches seats in Berlin state election By Siobhan Dowling
An upstart band of internet freedom activists are to enter Berlin's state parliament, ousting the Free Democrats, Angela Merkel's junior partner in the unpopular national government. It marks a remarkable success for the small Pirate party, which attracted 8.5% of the vote, winning its first ever seats in a state parliament, according to the first exit polls on Sunday. ...Read more
German police baffled by case of English-speaking boy with no identity By Siobhan Dowling
BERLIN - He walked out of a German forest, speaking English and knowing only his first name. Police in Berlin are trying to unravel the mystery of a teenager who says he has no idea who he is or where he comes from. The boy presented himself to the Berlin authorities last week saying all he knew was that his first name was Ray, he was probably 17 years old and he and his father had roamed through the woods for about five years. ...Read more
Yemen: Descending Into Despair By Jennifer Steil
SANA’A—It’s 2009. Dust from the recent bombings still hangs in the warm air of Sa’dah, a city 113 miles north of Yemen’s capital, just shy of the frontier with Saudi Arabia and the vast desert known as the Empty Quarter. A five-year-old girl stands crying in the street. Hungry, thirsty, and alone, she has been wandering in the ruins of her home, searching for her mother, father, or any other family members, all of whom have vanished in the devastating battles between the Houthi Shiite rebels and the government. She finds no one. ...Read more
Hundreds of Africans held in Libya on mercenary charges By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya – The men in the prison weren't sure why they were there. Yusuf Ali, a painfully thin man with frightened eyes and hand scars he said were from a childhood scalding, came to Libya two years ago after leaving behind his small village in Chad. ...Read more
Raphael's twin Madonnas reunited for pope's visit to Germany By Ruby Russell
To mark Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Germany later this month, an exhibition in Dresden has reunited two of the Renaissance's most important Madonna and Child paintings for the first time in almost 500 years. Raphael, a key figure in Renaissance art, completed the "Madonna di Foligno" (named after the Italian town of Foligno, where it resided for two centures) in 1512. ...Read more
Why the ICC likely won't charge pope over Catholic Church sex abuses By Jason Walsh
Despite efforts by clerical sexual abuse victims to charge Pope Benedict XVI with crimes against humanity, the case likely falls outside the court's jurisdiction. An attempt to prosecute Pope Benedict XVI in the International Criminal Court (ICC) for clerical sexual abuse around the globe faces daunting legal obstacles that make it unlikely the case will be heard, but will nonetheless put the Vatican's role in the abuse under new public scrutiny. ...Read more
Doctor's song of freedom inspires Libyans By Portia Walker
We Will Stay Here, a ballad by Adel Al Mshiti, a 38-year-old doctor, has dominated the Libyan airwaves for the past six months. It's played at every demonstration, in every taxi and every shop in Libya's recently liberated capital. "We will stay here," go the song's lyrics, "until the pain goes away." ...Read more
Serbia, EU extol advantages of possible alliance By Melanie Sevcenko
BELGRADE — Just a decade ago, Serbia joining the European Unionwould have been unthinkable. But today, EU officials — and Serbs themselves — say that allowing the former pariah state into the exclusive bloc could bring benefits to both. ...Read more
Charlottenburg's 'Hotspot': Constructing A New Cultural Identity Through Food By Molly Hannon
"Food preferences serve to separate individuals and groups from each other, and as one of the most powerful factors in constructing identity, we physically, emotionally, and spiritually become what we eat." For Hotspot, the Charlottenburg based Chinese restaurant, this could not be more true. ...Read more
Ceremonies around the world honor 9/11 victims By Jabeen Bhatti, Maya Vidon-White and Louise Osborne
In Paris, two "twin towers" graced a plaza across from the Eiffel Tower. In Berlin, an American flag hung at half-mast at the former East Berlin crossing known asCheckpoint Charlie. In London, British leaders, emergency responders and family members of the 67 Britons who died 10 years ago cried, prayed and remembered. ...Read more
Europe commemorates 9/11 By Stuart Braun
On Sunday, official commemorations were held in several cities in Europe on the tenth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, illustrating the significant impact they had on Europe. As the United States remembers the events of ten years ago in New York, Washington and a field in rural Pennsylvania, Europeans also held commemorations in several cities, mourning those lost a decade ago and calling for new efforts toward peaceful co-existence. ...Read more
Rebels poised as Gadhafi loyalists desert Libya By Portia Walker
BANI WALID, Libya – Rebels said Tuesday that they believed the residents of this regime stronghold would agree to surrender soon as a convoy of Moammar Gadhafiloyalists that included his security chief fled into neighboring Niger. ...Read more
Germany’s Yvonne refuses to be cowed By Jabeen Bhatti
BERLIN — “Until the cows come home” has special meaning these days for Germans, who were transfixed this summer by the wanderings of a wayward bovine avoiding the butcher’s block. Yvonne, a brown dairy cow, has returned to a Bavarian farm after a three-month run that confounded local authorities but impressed townsfolk, who followed daily reports about sightings of her and even campaigned to keep her free. ...Read more
Many Libyans miss trappings of security under Gadhafi By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya – For the past two weeks, there have been jubilant parades in the streets as opposition fighters celebrate the capture of the capital and the dawn of a new era in this oil-rich North African state. ...Read more
Remnants of twin towers find role in London 9/11 memorial By Jennifer Steil
LONDON — The grass-carpeted grove of trees just inside the Rosary Gate of Battersea Park is known as the American Ground. When the park was created in the 1850s, it was planted with North American trees and shrubs. On Monday, they were joined by another piece of America, a 28-foot twisted tower of steel once part of New York City’s twin towers. ...Read more
Fish market restored following disaster surviving and thriving By Christopher Johnson
OFUNATO, Japan —Six months after a tsunami and nuclear disaster wiped out the fishing industry in northeastern Japan and scared domestic and foreign consumers away from Japanese seafood, Ofunato’s fish market is bustling again with fishermen offloading their catch and buyers hollering out bids. ...Read more
Can Germany kick its nuke habit? By Jabeen Bhatti
BERLIN - A hasty, post-Fukushima nuclear phase-out is causing pain across an already-weak German economy. Call it a post-nuclear hangover. This summer, Germany became the first major industrial nation to commit to abandoning nuclear power following the meltdown of Japan's Fukushima reactor in March....Read more
Japan’s government indecision leaves disaster victims in limbo By Christopher Johnson
FUKUSHIMA CITY — Disaster survivors in northeastern Japan are demanding that government officials spend more resources on them instead of focusing on political squabbles in Tokyo, where Yoshihiko Noda took office this week as the country’s sixth prime minister in five years. ...Read more
Germany fights neo-Nazis after Norway killings By Ruby Russell
BERLIN — Elections in the eastern German state of Mecklenburg-Pomerania don't usually draw much outside attention. But this year, following the massacre in Norway by a right-wing extremist, things are different. This small, economically insignificant state has become the stronghold of the extreme German right. ...Read more
Angry Germans! Angry Greeks! By Nikolia Apostolou
ATHENS, Greece — First came the 2010 Greek bailout, at 110 billion euros (about $160 billion). That backfired. A year later, a second rescue was needed. Through it all, both sides have groused. The Germans wanted to know why they, the hard-working folks in the European Union, had to help out those lazy Greeks. ...Read more
American joins ranks of Libya's rebels By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya – When the war started in Libya, Jamal Abed was working in the restaurant of a hotel in San Antonio. Just over six months later, the 28-year-old Libyan American was among the victorious rebel fighters who stormed Tripoli and took over the capital. ...Read more
Libyans have 'other priorities' than Lockerbie bomber By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya – Dentistry student Alaa al-Meghze said Monday that he is frustrated about demands from some in the West that the Libyan rebels hand over the only person convicted in the bombing of a Pan-Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. ...Read more
Building A New Empire By Siobhán Dowling
Half a century after the first 'guest workers' arrived, entrepreneurs in the Turkish community are playing a vital role in Germany's economic success. With the 50th anniversary of Germany’s guest worker agreement with Turkey approaching, most headlines focus on the challenges of integration. ...Read more
Human rights group suspects revenge killings in Libya By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya – As Libya's capital slowly staggers back to life, evidence is emerging of revenge killings committed by both rebels and the regime army, which could provoke continuing violence. Human Rights Watch said the evidence it has collected "strongly suggests that Gadhafi government forces went on a spate of arbitrary killing as Tripoli was falling." ...Read more
Struggling Dublin archdiocese considers tax on ebbing faithful By Jason Walsh
DUBLIN — Ireland’s deep recession came at the worst possible time for the country’s largest Catholic Church district. The Archdiocese of Dublin lost millions of dollars of investments in Ireland’s failed banks. Wages are soaring, and attendance is declining. The church also is paying millions of dollars in legal settlements in a widening sex scandal....Read more
Damascus feels effects of crippled economy By Kristen Gillespie and Jabeen Bhatti
DAMASCUS, Syria – The rows of sparkling 18-carat-gold bangle bracelets have long since been removed from the cramped, tiny jewelry shops in the Salihiya neighborhood of Damascus. Many of the shops and travel agencies clustered in this popular shopping district are closed until further notice....Read more
Civilian casualties mount in Tripoli By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya – Adel Mohammed waited patiently outside the morgue on Zawiyah Street. His bearded face turned a little gray as he held out his mother's identity card. She had been shot in the forehead by a sniper as she leaned out a window to call to her 13-year-old son in the street below, telling him to come into the house....Read more
Documentary holds up four-sided mirror to Guantanamo Bay By Melanie Sevcenko
German filmmaker Thomas Wallner's latest documentary, "The Guantanamo Trap," leaves lots of questions unanswered, which often feel like the act of an incompetent filmmaker. But in this case, just the opposite is true. The 90-minute film toggles between the stories of four people whose lives were forever altered by the infamous US detention camp. The result is a state of immobilization....Read more
Libyan rebel leadership moves to Tripoli By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya – The transitional government of Libya began moving its leadership here to the capital Thursday. The Transitional National Council has been based in the eastern city of Benghazi, which fell to rebel forces early in the conflict. "In the name of the martyrs …I proclaim the beginning …of the work of the executive office in a free Tripoli as of this moment," Ali Tarhouni, the council's finance minister, told reporters in Tripoli. ...Read more
'Three Sisters': Finding Meaning Through Fine Food And Rock'a Billy Tunes By Molly Hannon
BERLIN — "Primitive Rock 'n' Roll and Fine Food" is the motto at Three Sisters. However, upon entering the restaurant, one senses there is nothing primitive about this place. With its lofty ceilings, whitewashed walls, and small stage featuring a grand piano, it feels more like an old-fashioned ballroom reminiscent of the American South. It masks its self-proclaimed primitive nature, exuding an elegant and distinct charm. ...Read more
Tripoli in chaos as rebels fight for control By Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya —The Libyan capital was in chaos Wednesday as rebels battled to consolidate their hold against fierce resistance from pro-regime forces trying to cut off the road to the airport. Rebels controlled much of the city Wednesday, but fighting continued in a number of districts where Moammar Gadhafi's forces were mounting a last stand to hold onto the regime's four decades in power. ...Read more
Shop owners say police abandoned them during London riots By Louise Osborne
LONDON — Shop owners who protected their businesses from looters during the deadly riots that rocked Britain this month are complaining that police guarded posh stores in central London and left them to fend for themselves. Turkish shopkeepers and families in the north London borough of Hackney armed themselves with sticks and chased looters away from their properties....Read more
Bodies pile up as search for Gaddafi intensifies By Kim Sengupta and Portia Walker
TRIPOLI, Libya — As his capital was wrestled from him after days of ferocious fighting, Muammar Gaddafi issued a defiant message from his hiding place yesterday urging his supporters to "purify" Tripoli as 1,000 rebel fighters bombarded the regime's remaining enclave in the city....Read more
Rebels enter Gadhafi's command center By Portia Walker
ZAWIYAH, Libya — Libyan rebels stormed Moammar Gadhafi's Tripoli compound Tuesday, looting buildings and scouring the grounds without finding the besieged dictator. The capture of his Bab al-Aziziya, center of the Libyan strongman's 42-year rule, was a symbolic victory for rebel troops, prompting sporadic celebratory gunfire even here, 30 miles from the city. ...Read more
Thailand’s fugitive leader plans to visit tsunami area By Christopher Johnson
TOKYO — Thailand’s self-exiled former prime minister is planning to visit tsunami survivors this week as part of a charm offensive to restore his international reputation. Japanese authorities this month granted a visitor’s visa to Thaksin Shinawatra, who was overthrown in a military coup in 2006 and convicted in absentia of corruption in 2008. His younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, became Thailand’s first female prime minister earlier this month. ...Read more
Rioting sparks concern about London Olympics By Louise Osborne
LONDON — The rioting and looting that shocked Britain two weeks ago are raising questions about whether London is a secure location for next year’s Summer Olympics. One German lawmaker has suggested moving the games, and British athletes are grumbling about the damage that rioters have caused to London’s image as one of Europe’s safer cities....Read more
Morocco: Controversy over religious freedom By Aida Alami
CASABLANCA, Morocco — The slogan displayed on the profile pictures of hundreds of Moroccan Facebook users was stark: “In Morocco, Eating Kills.” The message referred to the incident two years ago when six Moroccans were arrested for having a picnic during Ramadan in protest of a law banning eating in public during Ramadan. Two years and a new constitution later, Morocco still doesn't have provisions guaranteeing more religious freedom for its citizens....Read more
Norway commemorates those killed in Anders Breivik's July 22 rampage By Valeria Criscione
OSLO - Thousands of victims’ relatives and survivors of last month’s massacre by right-wing zealotAnders Behring Breivik gathered Sunday in Oslo for a memorial ceremony that sought to bring closure to Norway’s worst tragedy since World War II....Read more
Pope to youth: Resist secularism By Michael Elkin
MADRID - Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday called on 1.5 million young people attending a Mass here to become missionaries and to resist secularism, as he ended the Catholic Church’s four-day youth celebrations....Read more
Tsunami-hit areas need more helpers By Christopher Johnson
ISHINOMAKI, JAPAN— When Masaru Tanaka joined a rush of volunteers during holidays in May, he planned to stay in the tsunami disaster zone for only a week.
Japanese tourists flock to ‘miracle’ Matsushima By Christopher Johnson
Japanese tourists are flocking to Matsushima, a fabled destination that escaped the wrath of the March 11 tsunami. Widely considered one of Japan’s “three great views,” the seaside resort town of Matsushima in Miyagi province, with pine trees studding 260 islands in a majestic bay, has long been known for its esoteric powers. ...Read more
Crowdfunding Puts Money with Public Interest By Melanie Sevcenko
Tired of the old system of state and institutional funding, many wanting to push a creative project or a pet cause are turning to crowdfunding. After losing their London-based publisher, co-editors Ruby Russell and Katherine Hunt of the grassroots art magazine Teller were forced to look in a new direction for their second issue....Read more
German website allows congregations to rate clergy By Ruby Russell
BERLIN - Does your pastor set a glowing example to his or her flock? Or does the herd tend to drift? A new website launched in Germany allows churchgoers to rate their "shepherd's" performance on worship, youth work, work with seniors, credibility, and engagement with current issues. ...Read more
Terrorism is now on Norway's radar By Valeria Criscione and Kevin Johnson
OSLO — Norway's initial reaction to the killing spree of anti-Muslim Anders Behring Breivik was that the country would respond with "democracy and openness" and not let it change Norwegian society.
Many in Japan learn to live ‘at the bottom of the pyramid’ By Christopher Johnson
ISHINOMAKI, JAPAN—Hideki Suenaga says he can understand how many people feel watching their stock holdings plummet during the most recent financial crisis. For Mr. Suenaga and most of his friends in Ishinomaki, the March 11 tsunami took away almost everything they had, and now worldwide fears of a deeper recession could set back their recovery even further. ...Read more
German Bread: The Dark Truth By Molly Hannon
BERLIN — Germany's food culture is more than just sauerkraut and sausages. It is the bread that sustains this culture. German bread is not your usual breed of breads. It is neither white nor starchy, a common characteristic associated with the better known European bread varieties of countries like Italy and France. ...Read more
50 years on: Getting over the 'Wall of Shame' By Stuart Braun
BERLIN — Fifty years ago today, the Berlin Wall was erected in haste across the bleeding heart of Germany's capital. The sudden and speedy construction of this East-West divide on the night of August 13, 1961, caught many Berliners by surprise, and those that tried - with increasing futility - to circumvent the barrier often became its victim. ...Read more
Red Berlin By Stuart Braun
BERLIN — The Left and Social Democratic parties have governed so-called Red Berlin for over a century. State elections are coming up and Berlin's left is divided. DW's Stuart Braun tries to sort the left from the left. ...Read more
Cameron races back to London afire By Naomi Westland
LONDON — British Prime Minister David Cameron scrambled to London on Tuesday to deal with widespread violence that has rocked the British capital over the past three days and created a political crisis for his coalition government. As rioting and looting spread throughout England and into Scotland, London police announced they will put 16,000 officers on the streets, tripling the number since violence erupted over the weekend, initially as race riots. ...Read more
A call for calm in England By Naomi Westland
LONDON — Police, politicians and community leaders called for calm Wednesday to avert a breakdown in relations between black and South Asian communities, after three South Asian men were killed by suspected looters, as riots continue to spread throughout Britain. Prime Minister David Cameron promised to crack down on rioters and restore order on Britain’s streets, as 16,000 police officers flooded the capital for a second day. He promised not to let a “culture of fear” take hold...Read more
'Eurobonds' anyone? Officials call for EU-wide fiscal policies to ease debt crisis By Jason Walsh
But that hasn't dampened calls from critics who worry that centralizing European Union fiscal policy would impinge on national sovereignty – and possibly even worsen the crisis.
German 'bubble curtain' study hopes to protect whales' hearing By Ruby Russell
The German government is investigating ways to "bubble-wrap" underwater construction sites to protect whales and porpoises in the Baltic Sea from noise pollution from offshore wind farms.
Bayer threatens to quit Germany over nuclear shutdown By Ruby Russell
Germany's decision to phase out nuclear power after the Fukushima catastrophe in Japan could lead to some of the country's major companies relocating elsewhere in search of cheaper energy.
Independent women lead social change in Japan
Japan weakens yen to aid recovery, exports
UK unrest
Can Norwegian punishment fit the crime? By Valeria Criscione and Oren Dorell
Europeans fear financial fallout if U.S. doesn’t resolve its debt crisis By Ruby Russell and Sumi Somaskanda
Oslo massacre sparks multicultural debate in Europe By Ruby Russell
Berlin is an ecosystem By Melanie Sevcenco
Like
Berlin, 'Weinstein's Wine Bar In Prenzlauer Berg Continues To Evolve By Molly Hannon
Sorrowful Norwegians spill into streets By Valeria Criscione
Morocco's Democratic Changes Fail to Appease All By Aida Alami
Older and wiser:
mature au pairs grab second chance to see the world By Siobhan Dowling
Norway dealing with worst massacre since World War II By Valeria Criscione
Berlin's
Champagne Food Truck By Molly Hannon
Phone hacking: how NoTW scandal has changed UK's image in the world
Japanese saving energy despite extreme heat
German nudist groups see memberships shrink By Siobhan Dowling
Media mogul Marshall McLuhan foresaw the 'global village' By Melanie Sevcenco
By Christopher Johnson
Rudolf Hess's body
removed from cemetery to deter Nazi pilgrims By Siobhan Dowling
British prime minister feels singe of scandal By Louise Osborne and Jason Walsh
By Siobhan
Dowling
Murdoch apologizes
and dodges blame By Louise Osborne and Jason Walsh
Expat-run studio marries cinema, painting and video in Berlin By Melanie Sevcenco
German unions call for healthy lunchtime siestas By Ruby Russell
Japanese debate whether to restart nuclear reactors By Christopher Johnson
Reporters paying off police By Jason Walsh
Japan adds beef to the contaminated menu By Christopher Johnson
Eurozone's citizens split amid battle
to stop debt crisis spreading
Women's football
is still a pauper's game, despite World Cup success By Siobhan Dowling
By Naomi Westland and Jason Walsh
By Siobhan Dowling
By Siobhan Dowling
By Jonathan Watts and Siobhan Dowling
By Naomi Westland EU:
Cracks showing
Tsunami
drill saved Japanese town from worse fate
British phone hacking scandal hits second tabloid, crosses borders By Jason Walsh
Berlin
prop maker creates for the camera By Melanie Sevcenko
Tabloid
phone hacking scandal spreads, former Cameron aid arrested By Jason Walsh
Berlin's
new techno beat With its cheap rents and hot nightlife, the German capital is a magnet for young techies. But can it create global businesses? By Siobhan Dowling
Lola
Karimova loses libel case against French website, Rue89 By Maya Vidon
Team Great Britain
at 2012 Olympics? By Jason Walsh
Environmentalists push to keep U.S., others from oil drilling in Arctic By Jason Walsh
By Sumi Somaskanda
By Siobhan Dowling
Syrians discover new 'power of their voice' By Nurhan Kocaoglu and Ruby Russell
Wanted:
A generation to rebuild ruined town By Christopher Johnson
The DSK Affair: French politicians
face female fury By Maya Vidon
Saxony's answer to Switzerland
By Siobhan Dowling
The quota wars By Jabeen Bhatti
Google Ideas's new 'think-do' tank takes on violent extremism By Jason Walsh
Syrian terror campaign forces refugees across northern border By Sumi Somaskanda
Moroccan referendum - Constitutional reforms spark debate By Aida Alami
Syrian refugees continue to stream into Turkey By Nurhan Kocaoglu and Ruby Russell
In Germany, Prosperity
has Turned a Nation Against Itself
Belfast riots renew calls for Protestant-Catholic dialogue By Jason Walsh
Violence Appears to Stall Reforms in Morocco By Aida Alami
By Jason Walsh,
Japanese children
live in fear of radiation By Christopher Johnson
Syrian refugees
test ties with Turkey
CEOs, local leaders call for 'solar farms' in Japan By Christopher Johnson
Urban camping in Berlin, haystack beds in Bavaria and giant tree forts in Saxony -- Discover quirky alternative accomodations in Germany By Ruby Russell
Untouched magical temple soothes Japanese tsunami survivors By Christopher Johnson
King's sexual proclivities
confound even Swedes By Dominic Hinde
Eco-friendly mosque planned for Germany By Siobhan Dowling
Turkey a beacon amid Arab world's uncertainty By Sumi Somaskanda
Roma: The hidden Americans By Melanie Sevcenko
Turkey's election
soap opera By Nurhan Kocaoglu
E coli outbreak: bean sprouts may not be to blame By Peter Walker and Siobhan Dowling
German Chancellor Merkel, visiting U.S., leaves troubles at home By Jabeen Bhatti
Former IMF chief Strauss-Kahn: The portrait of a paradox By Kevin McCoy, Maya Vidon contributing from Paris
German E. coli outbreak traced to sprouts By Siobhan Dowling
Atheist confab in Ireland comes as Europe confronts religion in public life By Jason Walsh
Morocco's Mawazine
festival stirs controversy By Aida Alami
Japanese Prime Minister Kan beats censure By Christopher Johnson
Misplaced Talents
By Siobhan Dowling
Berlin festival raises 'Celluloid Curtain' on Europe's forgotten spy films Forbidden cinema returns to the city that inspired it: In Berlin, the 'Celluloid Curtain' retrospective aims to shed light on the Cold War era through rare espionage films from the East By Josie Le Blond
|
TARO, Japan - This fishing village should have suffered
massive casualties from the March 11 tsunami that tore through the
town with waves 60 feet high. A tsunami in 1896 killed all but 36
residents of Taro, and 911 died in 30-foot high waves in 1933. But
this time, Taro was perhaps the best-prepared town on the northeast
coast. "We are experts at fleeing," said Towa Oshita, 84, who also
survived the 1933 tsunami. "I knew another one would come someday,
and it did. It was bigger this time."...
DUBLIN
- A scandal that started with revelations that the Sunday tabloid
the News of the World had hacked into the cellphone of a missing
teenage girl has spiraled into a political crisis for the government
of British Prime Minister David Cameron and a business nightmare
for media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch's decision to close the
paper at the center of the storm, announced by his son James yesterday,
has not put the scandal to bed...
BERLIN
- It wasn't hard for Juha Lindell to decide to move to the German
capital last October. After all, "Berlin is the coolest city in
Europe, if not the whole world," he says. Yet that wasn't the only
thing that drew the 29-year-old Finn to the city. A tall blond in
a T-shirt and sneakers, he may look like something of a hipster,
but his intention wasn't just to hang out in clubs, play in a band
or make art in a loft. Instead, he is one of the thousands of young
IT professionals who have thronged to the city to become part of
its thriving start-up scene
PARIS
- A Paris High Court on Friday rejected all counts of libel brought
by the daughter of Uzbek President Islam Karimov against a news
website after they described her in an article as the "daughter
of a dictator." "Children are not liable for the actions of their
parents," ruled Judge Joel Boyer, who said that even if the expression
might seem negative, "the reputation (of the plaintiff) is untouched".
DUBLIN - Environmentalists are scuttling to courts
to stop a modern-day gold rush at the top of the world, as the United
States and four other countries scramble to stake claims to potentially
vast oil riches under the frozen waters of the Arctic Sea. Environmental
activists such as Greenpeace are opposed to any resource extraction
in the region. "Greenpeace has been protesting on all Arctic ice
drillings since 2000," said Truls Gulowsen, program director of
Greenpeace Nordic. "We believe it's high time to put some bars on
the industry's push into the area. It's too vulnerable, and there
is no way to clean an oil spill out of ice"...
GUVECCI, TURKEY - An oppressive regime,
a brutal military and little promise of change: Unlike the Egyptian
and Tunisian revolutions, the uprising in Syria has faced seemingly
insurmountable odds from the very beginning. But more than four
months after the first protests began, the breadth and strength
of the uprising is stronger than as ever...
Known
for their generosity to strangers, Tunisians are starting to crack
under the weight of caring for hundreds of thousands of refugees
from the civil war in neighboring Libya. "The Tunisians have been
so generous since Day One," said Firas Kayal, spokesman in Tunisia
for the U.N. refugee agency. "But, of course, you cannot take that
for granted."Tunisia is struggling with a fractious government and
crippled economy five months after its January revolution that overthrew
longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked the so-called
"Arab Spring"
GUVECCI, TURKEY - It's a familiar nightmare for Syrians.
In 1982, Syria's military employed a "scorched-earth" policy to
quell protests in the northern town of Hama, killing 25,000 people.
But Syrian refugees now fleeing into Turkey say that the outcome
will be different this time. "We've lived through 40 years of dictatorship,"
said Mohammad, a young Syrian who fled to Turkey over the weekend.
"We have no other choice but to continue [to fight]. We have to
do this for the next generation"...
PARIS
- The arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn on charges of attempted rape
and sexual assault has prompted a massive debate over sexism and
harassment by male politicians in France. "There is very strong
pressure to deny the problem entirely and turn against the women
who dare complain," said French Sports Minister Chantal Jouanno.
a clear before, and after the DSK Affair. She said that when she
recently tried to speak out on sexism and harassment issues at the
National Assembly, other lawmakers hurled insults at her...
OSLO
- When Norway's Equality Minster Audun Lysbakken gathered a group
of Norway's top 100 female leaders for a discussion on quotas for
women on boards in 2002, he split the room into two teams. "He
was dividing us up into those who were for it and those who opposed
it," recalled Benja Stig Fagerland, an economist who was involved
with the initiative for quotas from the beginning. "Instead,
we need to be talking about how we can get more women on boards,
and why it is important for business to wake up and fish from the
other half of the talent pool"...
DUBLIN
- A ripple of laughter spreads across the floor. The joke? A personal
anecdote from Frank Meeink, a former fascist skinhead and founder
of the antiviolence group Harmony Through Hockey, who says his first
thought when he sees a handbag is to steal it. Meeink doesn't steal
handbags these days, but he is adamant that people need to work
to be better. He and some 220 invited delegates - victims, NGO workers,
and former extremists - met for Google Ideas's Summit Against Violent
Extremism in Dublin, Ireland to discuss such issues. They couldn't
be accused of having low aspirations...
CASABLANCA
- The upcoming national referendum on the king's proposed constitution
has sparked heated debate. Some are in favor of his reforms while
others say the changes do not go far enough. Thousands of pro-democracy
protesters have marched to reject the king's proposed constitution.The
July 1 poll will show how far the country has come...
BOYNUYOGUN,
TURKEY - Syrian troops advanced closer to the Turkish border Thursday,
pushing more refugees into Turkey and forcing local officials to
create a sixth refugee camp to accommodate another 15,000 homeless
Syrians. Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have crossed into
Turkey over the past two weeks to escape the regime's relentless
efforts to quash dissent in the northern region of the country.
"At the moment, we do not need international assistance. We have
everything under control," said Tekin Kucukali, head of the Turkish
Red Crescent, at a press conference in Guvecci on Thursday. "We
have the capacity to provide aid to 250,000 persons if necessary"...
DUSSELDORF,
GERMANY - Here in the industrial core of Europe, things have never
been so good. Germany's western flank has become the greatest exporter
in the Western world, second only to China and far ahead of the
United States. The container ports along the Rhine are working day
and night to deliver record orders of German products to southern
and western Europe, the U.S. and especially to China. Shops are
busy. Home sales are rocking. Unemployment hasn't been so low since
the eighties. Yet it is very hard to find anyone here who is happy
about this state of affairs...
DUBLIN
- Young Protestants and Catholics in east Belfast clashed again
Tuesday night in violence that appears to involve splinter paramilitary
groups with murky aims. Rioting engulfed the Short Strand district
of Belfast, Northern Ireland, as pro-British loyalists and Irish
republican residents of the area clashed for the second consecutive
day...
TOKYO
- Business and government leaders across Japan are calling for creating
"solar farms" on damaged or abandoned land to help wean the nation
off nuclear energy and provide economic opportunities for future
generations. Katsunobu Sakurai, mayor of Minami-soma, said he wants
to invite experts from around the world to rebuild his devastated
city as a center for what Japanese call "natural energy"...
BERLIN
- On a quiet leafy street in the trendy Berlin district of Neukoelln,
tourists are enjoying coffee and home-made cake in a sunny, plant-filled
courtyard beside their camp ground. It's the perfect spot to relax
in a hammock and soak up some rays. But should the weather take
a turn for the worse, these visitors won't get caught in the rain:
At the Huettenpalast, vintage caravans and cozy wooden huts are
protected from the elements inside an old vacuum cleaner factory...
OTSUCHI,
JAPAN - On a misty Sunday morning, a cloud of fog seems to hover
like a halo over the temple. For many locals who come to worship
here, the temple seems to have magical powers. The March 11 tsunami
rushed up a slope to the steps of the temple grounds and then turned
back, dragging thousands of people and buildings with it back into
the ocean. Though flames leapt up the mountainside and scorched
the trunks of trees encircling the temple grounds, the fire stopped
before reaching the main wooden shrine - which has been periodically
rebuilt, according to Shinto custom, for more than 1,000 years.
"No firemen came here to put out the flames. God was protecting
the temple," said Takaaki Goto, 74, a city councilor and former
geography teacher who survived the tsunami that killed the mayor
and 31 other town officials...
STOCKHOLM
- A congressman from New York sends lewd photos of himself over
the Internet. A former presidential candidate cheats on his terminally
ill wife. A former California governor reveals he has a love child
with the family maid. Those peccadilloes grab headlines in America,
but none is as hot in Sweden as the sex scandal involving the king
- and it takes a lot to shock the Swedes...
BERLIN
- A small Muslim community in northern Germany is pioneering renewable
energy sources by planning to build a mosque with wind turbines
in its minarets. The 2.5 million euros project would see the mosque
in Norderstedt, near Hamburg, become one of the first to turn the
minaret, the place from which the muezzin called the faithful to
prayer, into a wind-fuelled power source... 
ISTANBUL
- Headscarves and miniskirts. Mosques and nightclubs. High rises
and hovels. Turkey's booming metropolis, Istanbul, is the contradictory
heart of the country and has come to be held up as a model for other
Islamic countries weathering the "Arab Spring." With two revolutions
and continuing unrest reshaping the Arab world, many view Turkey
as a beacon in a sea of uncertainty...
DALLAS-FORTWORTH,
TEXAS - Shannon Rose Hill Cemetery off Highway 180 on the east side
of Fort Worth is a typical rolling plot of grey tombstones strewn
about in the dry, yellow grass characteristic of Texas winters.
Most of the graves are standard, except the distinct raised tombs
which bear embedded photos of the deceased, dressed in their finest
and smiling with cigarettes and their loved ones at their sides.
Evans is the name inscribed on each of these opulent tombs - the
Roma clan that has made Fort Worth its home for more than a hundred
years....
ISTANBUL
- Ask any Turkish family what they are doing on a Wednesday evening,
and they will gladly fill you in on the intrigues and scandals of
"Magnificent Century," a Turkish soap opera set in the Ottoman Empire.
But ask them about the elections and the enthusiasm dims. The usual
televised political debates on Turkey's parliamentary elections
on June 12 aren't as popular among the German-Turks this time around...
BIENENBUETTEL,
GERMANY - The source of Europe's E coli outbreak remains a mystery
after German scientists said there was as yet no evidence from tests
to link the bacterium to a farm in the northern state of Lower Saxony.
The results of laboratory tests came as a surprise, as ministers
had earlier said there were "strong and clear indications" that
bean sprouts from the Gaertenhof organic farm had spread the new
and particularly virulent strain of E coli, which has so far killed
22 people and left 2,200 people ill again...
DUBLIN
- The first World Atheist Convention this weekend in Dublin comes
at a time when Islam, the pope, and blasphemy are front and center
in Europe. Organizers claim they aren't trying to make a statement
by selecting Ireland, often seen as one of Europe's most religious
nations, but the get-together of nonbelievers does come in a country
where religiosity has been in steady decline. ...
RABAT,
MOROCCO - Shakira sang and swiveled her hips, Kanye West rapped,
Joe Cocker growled and thousands of Moroccan fans cheered. Morocco's
10th annual Mawazine festival attracted an estimated two million
fans during nine days at the end of May. But some believe the festival
was an effort by the Moroccan government to distract young people
from political demonstrations...
TOKYO
- Japan's prime minister survived a no-confidence vote in his party
Thursday after he made a vague promise to step down once he fulfills
his role to "overcome" the country's post-tsunami crisis. In office
for nearly a year, he has been criticized for his administration's
response to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled the
Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant...
BERLIN
- If your Berlin taxi makes a worrying sound and your driver is
Russian, you can relax - there is a good chance he has an engineering
degree. Ditto if someone starts choking in a Munich restaurant and
there is an Iranian waiter at hand - chances are he has had medical
training. Germany has long failed to recognise the qualifications
of many of its skilled migrants, while also shunning the huge source
of labour on its eastern borders. This could now prove costly as
the country contemplates a looming skills shortage... 
BERLIN
- On April 24, 1974, West German police burst
into the offices of Chancellor Willy Brandt and arrested Guenter
Guillaume, his closest political aide, for spying for the East German
secret police (Stasi). Less than two weeks later, Willy Brandt gravely
addressed the nation and stepped down as chancellor. His administration
had been plunged into a politically explosive scandal following
the revelation that it had known for more than a year that Guillaume
had been on the Stasi's pay role. As the scandal broke in Bonn,
far away, deep behind the Iron Curtain, an aging Soviet film star
was fighting with an iconic director over the release of a picture
doomed never to grace the silver screen. But 50 years after the
construction of the Berlin Wall, it will be part of a new film retrospective
showcasing these rare and previously unseen spy films from behind
the Iron Curtain...FAQ - privacy policy - ethics guidelines - site map - write for us
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