Garmisch-Partenkirchen's Uncomfortable Past
Bavarian ski resort Garmisch-Partenkirchen is applying to co-host the 2018 Winter Olympics, which it last hosted in 1936 under the Nazi regime. Locals still have fond memories of the games, but they have little interest in dealing with the idyllic Alpine town's uncomfortable past. By Andreas Meyhoff and Gerhard Pfeil more...
Rescue By Sea
The US military has launched its largest humanitarian effort ever to bring aid to the people of earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Some have criticized the mission as being akin to an occupation of the country, but the sailors involved in the mission are happy to be able to help. By Marc Pitzke on the USS Carl Vinson more...
Sexual Politics of Dancing
Why do some clubbers shake it like a Polaroid picture while others prefer to perch on a bar stool? British psychologist Peter Lovatt, who has conducted rigorous field work in nightclubs, believes he can explain why some booty shaking is hot -- and some is not. It's all about your hormones. By Birger Menke more... [ Video ]
The 'Dishonorable' German Girls
Hitler's Gestapo arrested thousands of women for admitting they had affairs with foreign forced laborers in Germany, despite many confessions being false and made under duress. Men were often executed and women sent to concentration camps for the crime of "racial defilement." Some continued to suffer the consequences long after the end of the war. By Jan Friedmann more... [ Forum ]
Reversing Germany's Atomic Phase-Out
Members of the German government and leading utility providers are set to begin negotiations in Berlin on Thursday over a possible extension of the lifespans of the country's nuclear power plants. The government says it would funnel profits from the reactors towards promoting renewable energies. By Stefan Schultz and Anselm Waldermann more...
Not In Our Backyard
Most Germans are in favor of the expansion of renewable energy -- provided the plants aren't built in their neighborhood. All over the country, local groups are coming together to stop solar, wind and biogas projects. But where can power plants be built if no one wants them in their backyard? By Wiebke Hollersen more... [ Forum ]
The World from Berlin
US President Barack Obama suffered a painful defeat in Massachusetts on Tuesday. With mid-term elections looming, it means that Obama will have to fundamentally re-think his political course. German commentators say it is the end of hope. more...
Cruising Through Catastrophe?
Over a week after the earthquake that devastated Haiti, the capital Port-au-Prince is still struggling to get back on its feet. But 130 kilometers to the north, at Haiti's holiday paradise of Labadee, tourists continue to bask in the sun. But is that so terrible? By Annette Langer more...
The Afghanistan Mission
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of all foreign troops in Afghanistan, wants to see more engagement and a greater willingness to take risks from NATO states fighting in the country. He would also like to see German soldiers establish better contact with locals. By Matthias Gebauer more...
Westergaard's Life Sentence
Four years ago, Kurt Westergaard triggered a bitter clash of cultures with his cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad. On New Year's Day, a young Muslim from Somalia tried to kill him with a knife and an ax. Despite having to live under constant protection, the Danish cartoonist refuses to give up. By Henryk M. Broder more... [ Forum ]
The Millionaire Party
Tax cuts for hotel owners, Health Ministry jobs for insurance lobbyists: Germany's Free Democrats, junior coalition partner in Chancellor Merkel's coalition, are reviving their reputation as a party of the wealthy. By SPIEGEL Staff
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Obama's Year of Crises
Barack Obama has spent his first year in office fighting one crisis after another. Now he faces a political crisis of his own -- the defeat in Massachusetts threatens his health care reform, his most important domestic project. Is it a case of the best US president at the worst time? An Editorial by Gregor Peter Schmitz in Washington more...
'It Was Always Such a Nice Place'
Following a ruling by a high court, the inhabitants of the village of Randerath, Germany will have to tolerate living alongside a man who spent 15 years in prison for rape and is still considered dangerous. The case has grown into a battle of wills -- with the villagers on one side, and the convicted rapist's family on the other. By Andrea Brandt, Jürgen Dahlkamp, Barbara Hardinghaus, Wiebke Hollersen and Barbara Schmid more... [ Forum ]
Gentrification in Hamburg
Plans to build a new Ikea store in the Hamburg district of Altona have divided local residents. Supporters of the project, which would be the first of its kind in a downtown area, claim that it will bring much-needed investment to the area. But local artists and activists say it will just speed up the gentrification of the neighborhood. By Sven Böll and Ole Reissmann in Hamburg more...
Pillaged
Thieves in Hamburg have run off with some precious booty. The city's history museum has reported that the skull of legendary 14th-century pirate Klaus Störtebeker is missing and is desperate to get its stolen treasure back. more...
Boomerang from Seville
Billions in cost overruns and lengthy delays have put the development of the Airbus A400M military transport plane in danger. Should no agreement be reached this month, Airbus profits will plummet -- potentially putting company managers on the hot seat. By Dinah Deckstein more... [ Forum ]
Hatred Trial in Amsterdam
The trial of Dutch populist right-wing politician Geert Wilders begins on Wednesday in Amsterdam. His inflammatory anti-Muslim statements are well known. But are they illegal? By Folkert Jensma more...
The World from Berlin
Bulgaria's nominee for the new European Commission has withdrawn her candidacy after members of the European Parliament raised doubts about her suitability for her post. German commentators are divided over whether the result is a victory for European democracy or just party political mudslinging. more...
A Costly Mistake
In its 2007 report on climate change, the United Nations included a prediction that the Himalayan glaciers had a high probability of melting by 2035 -- a forecast that came as an unpleasant surprise for many. But the forecast is wrong and the Nobel Prize-winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change is be criticized heavily for its methods. By Christoph Seidler more...
NATO's Secret Findings
The secret NATO report on the Kunduz affair already contained all of the details that Germany's new defense minister, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, claims he did not become aware of until later. Why did he initially deem the deadly airstrike "militarily appropriate" and then change his mind? By John Goetz, Konstantin von Hammerstein and Holger Stark more... [ Forum ]
The World from Berlin
Taliban insurgents on Monday plunged the Afghan capital Kabul into chaos with a series of well-coordinated attacks across the city. Militarily, the offensive was a failure. But the propaganda value of the attack, which comes ahead of the Afghanistan conference later this month, is clear, say German commentators. more...
Reinhold Messner's Tragedy
A new German movie about an ill-fated bid to climb the deadly Himalayan mountain Nanga Parbat in 1970 has re-opened a bitter row between world-famous mountaineer Reinhold Messner and fellow climbers about how his brother Günther died on the expedition. By SPIEGEL Staff more...
No More Beer
Striking brewery workers in Belgium have stopped the production of several popular beers at brewing giant InBev. Good news for InBev's competitors but bad news for drinkers who prefer Stella Artois, Hoegaarden or Leffe beers. more...
Corruption in Afghanistan
Need a driver's license in Kabul? $180 will get you one within hours. $60,000 will get you out of jail in Afghanistan. A new UN study shows just how rampant corruption has become in the war-torn country. Indeed, bribery is equal to a quarter of the Afghan GDP. By Matthias Gebauer and Carsten Volkery more...
