| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on February 22, 2012, 06:09 PM CET |
| A GROWING FOLLOWING IN GERMANY The Dangerous Success of Radical Young Clerics Imams in Germany have long tended to be older men who preach primarily in Turkish or Arabic. Now, though, officials are worried about a new breed of cleric: young, dynamic and followers of a radical brand of Islam. Their adherents are growing in number. |
| LEADING BY EXAMPLE Merkel Bets Austerity Will Result in Re-Election German voters value austerity. That, at least, is what Chancellor Angela Merkel is betting on as she embarks on a new package of savings measures aimed at balancing the budget in two years. She wants to show the rest of Europe how it's done -- and get re-elected in the process. |
| THE WORLD FROM BERLIN 'EU Has Not Yet Faced the Whole Sad Truth About Greece' Will the new Greek bailout be enough to save the country from default? The ratings agency Fitch doesn't think so: It downgraded Athens on Wednesday, saying a bankruptcy was "highly likely." German commentators also feel Greece isn't out of the woods yet. |
| WHAT IRANIAN ELITES THINK An Inside Look at Views of the West Israeli hawks are threatening a military strike in order to stop Iran's nuclear program and many Republican presidential candidates in the US also support action. A loose survey of students and academics in Tehran shows that even among opponents of President Ahmadinejad, anti-Western sentiment is strong. |
| FRANKFURT'S UNDERGROUND LANDMARK Städel Museum Celebrates Bold New Extension One of Germany's most important museums, the Städel in Frankfurt, opens its new underground wing on Wednesday. Frankfurt's financial world played a major role in financing the expansion, and the museum's director used tricks learned during his time at the Guggenheim to persuade the city's wealthy to part with their cash. |
| TAXI 2.0 Dispatch Firms Wage War over Smartphone App The taxi industry in Germany is currently on the verge of a radical transformation. The new smartphone app myTaxi is creating the first serious competition for traditional cab dispatch businesses. Some dispatchers are resorting to dubious methods to preserve the status quo. |
| CHEAP LABOR IN BULGARIA Chinese Open First Car Plant in Europe It used to be that European carmakers opened plants to assemble their cars in China. Now the Chinese have turned the tables with the opening of their first factory in Bulgaria, an EU country with low labor costs and taxes. Increasingly, Chinese carmakers are setting their sights on the European and American automobile markets. |
| PICTURE THIS Glass Eater |
