Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

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MERKEL PUSHES THE EMERGENCY BUTTON
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Moratorium Seen as Ploy to Placate Voters
Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced the temporary shutdown of seven
of Germany's 17 nuclear plants pending a three-month safety check in
response to the Fukushima accident. Opposition parties say is it's a
calculated move to allay public fear and avert defeat in three regional
elections this month.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,751044,00.html#ref=nlint

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THE WORLD FROM BERLIN
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'The Political Fallout from Fukushima Has Already Reached Germany'
Chancellor Merkel reacted quickly to Fukushima by imposing a moratorium
on a planned extension of nuclear plant operating lives in Germany. Her
critics claim that she is merely trying to prevent a massive defeat in a
crunch state election later this month. German commentators agree on one
thing: Merkel's nuclear policy can never be the same again.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,751076,00.html#ref=nlint

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OPINION
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Germany Cripples Itself With Nuclear Angst
Germans are buying Geiger counters and the government has shut almost
half the nuclear plants as a wave of angst has gripped this risk-averse
nation in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. The fear is unwarranted
and damaging, and Chancellor Angela Merkel is pandering to it to secure
her political future.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,751135,00.html#ref=nlint

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PROBLEMATIC PUBLIC RELATIONS
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Japanese Leaders Leave People in the Dark
Leaders in Japan have not comported themselves well since Friday's
disaster. Information has been in short supply and distrust among the
Japanese has begun to spread. Now, the blame game has begun in earnest.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,751109,00.html#ref=nlint

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RESCUE WORKERS SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS
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Japan Facing 'Colossal Catastrophe'
Half a million people are homeless, families wait for their loved ones
and rescue workers continue the desperate search for survivors in the
ruins: the situation in northeastern Japan is harrowing. Ten German
nuclear technicians, however, can breathe a sigh of relief after
returning safely home.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,751042,00.html#ref=nlint

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Photo Gallery: Japan Suffering a 'Colossal Catastrophe'
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-65746.html#ref=nlint


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EUROPEAN PRESS REVIEW
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As Japan Reels from Disaster, EU Debates Nuclear Future
The nuclear disaster unfolding in Japan is sending a collective gasp
across the European Union. Are our own power stations safe? Should we
relinquish this form of energy? Presseurop reviews the landscape of
European editorial pages in the wake of Fukushima.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,750978,00.html#ref=nlint

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Japan's Chernobyl: Fukushima Marks the End of the Nuclear Era
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,750773,00.html#ref=nlint


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TOXIC ASSETS
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German Politicians Have Failed to Fix State-Owned Banks
During the financial crisis, problems with Germany's state-owned banks
brought the country's financial system to the brink of collapse and
received billions in bailout funds. But they are still in terrible
shape. Now, the billions in toxic assets still on their balance sheets
could be passed onto taxpayers. And little is being done about it.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,750982,00.html#ref=nlint

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CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT?
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Protests Grow of Bradley Manning's Treatment in Detention
The conditions under which presumed WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning are
being held have been tightened again. Even US politicians believe
they're illegal. In the latest development, a key State Department
official has resigned over critical remarks he made about Manning's
detainment.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,750883,00.html#ref=nlint

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The Bradley Manning Campaign: 'I Have Watched My Friend Degrade over
Time'
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,750879,00.html#ref=nlint


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DIGGING TOO DEEP
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Journalist Arrests a Blow for Press Freedom in Turkey
The dubious arrests of 10 journalists in Turkey for what the authorities
claim is involvement in an anti-government conspiracy has thrown further
doubt on the extent of press freedoms in the EU candidate country.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,751115,00.html#ref=nlint

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UNLIKELY VACATION DESTINATIONS
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Tempting Tourists to Tehran, Tunis and Tikrit
Iran, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo may not top of most
people's lists when it comes to a vacation -- but that doesn't mean
countries off the beaten track don't try to tempt tourists. Many
unlikely holiday destinations were represented at the ITB trade show in
Berlin last weekend.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,751017,00.html#ref=nlint

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ISLAMISM AND THE LIKE BUTTON
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Can Radicalization Via Facebook Be Stopped?
Arid U., the perpetrator of the attack on US servicemen at the Frankfurt
Airport in late February, was a fan of violent computer games and
appears to have radicalized via contacts made on the Internet. German
officials now want to increase surveillance of social networking sites.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,750912,00.html#ref=nlint