Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

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LETTER FROM BERLIN
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Merkel Braces for Election Debacles in 2011
A series of seven state elections in 2011 could turn into a nightmare
for Chancellor Angela Merkel and her coalition partner, led by Foreign
Minister Guido Westerwelle. Opinion polls suggest the elections will
reflect a dramatic slump in support for their coalition.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,736816,00.html#ref=nlint

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TAKING ON MALWARE
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Germany Plans a New Cyber Defense Agency
The number of cyber attacks in Germany and abroad has skyrocketed in
recent years, costing the economy upwards of 10 billion euros annually.
In response, the government in Berlin is planning to create an agency
dedicated to documenting and stopping such high-tech assaults.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,736842,00.html#ref=nlint

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MEDIA LAW OUTRAGE 
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Hungary's 'Orbanization' Is Worrying Europe
The move by Hungary's right-wing government to muzzle the media is the
most recent example of a disturbing political trend in the country that
was once hailed as a model for post-commununist development. Should
Europe impose sanctions just as Hungary is about to assume the rotating
EU presidency?

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,736706,00.html#ref=nlint

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A PROJECT IN JEOPARDY
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The Unending Battle over Berlin's Sinti and Roma Memorial
The monument to the Sinti and Roma murdered in the Holocaust has been in
the works in Berlin for years. But bickering has accompanied the project
for just as long. Now, with construction underway, a new squabble
threatens to derail the memorial.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,736716,00.html#ref=nlint

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BACK FROM THE BRINK
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Biologists Puzzle Over the Return of the Otter
European otters are a mystery to scientists: For decades they were
thought to be verging on extinction but now their populations are
swelling -- without any help from humans. The swimming predators feel at
home in the Alps, where people have mixed feeling about their return.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,735738,00.html#ref=nlint

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Photo Gallery: The Return of the Invisible Fish Thief
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-62856.html#ref=nlint


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CONTROVERSIAL IDEA
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German Airports Mull Passenger Profiling 
German airports are considering assigning passengers to risk categories
based on their age and ethnicity, and checking them accordingly, under a
proposal by the designated head of the country's airports
federation. Critics say the move would foment racism, breach
anti-discrimination laws and fail to boost security.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,736886,00.html#ref=nlint