| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on March 23, 2012, 06:15 PM CET |
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Not the Next Greece
Portugal Can Still Turn the Corner in Debt Crisis Pimco CEO Mohamed El-Erian has warned that debt-ridden Portugal will become a second Greece and may also need a private-sector haircut. But he is exaggerating: Lisbon is forging ahead with its reform efforts, and the country has every chance of getting its finances under control. |
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Cuba's Pioneering Days
Havana Gets a Taste of the Free Market Inhabitants of the communist bastion of Cuba have been getting a taste of the free market lately with the introduction of market reforms by President Raúl Castro. The Catholic Church is supporting his endeavor, and Pope Benedict's visit could boost efforts to open up the country. |
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Collision Course
Unrestricted Seniors Endanger German Roads The number of elderly German drivers is rising significantly, as is the accident risk for everyone who uses the country's roads. Experts recommend more consideration from other drivers and say seniors should be given regular tests. But as their constituencies age, lawmakers are resisting tougher regulations. |
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Increasing Returns
Berlin's Poor Collect Bottles to Make Ends Meet Many pensioners and unemployed people in Berlin are turning to an unusual means of supplementing their meager incomes: collecting discarded deposit bottles. They can return them to stores or supermarkets for a few cents per bottle. But as the activity becomes more popular, competition among collectors has intensified. |
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The World from Berlin
'Germany Would Be No Worse Off Without the NPD' With growing pressure to ban the far-right NPD party, Germany's federal and state interior ministers have announced they will take concrete steps to review whether it would be legally feasible. The first attempt to ban the party failed in 2003, but German commentators argue the country should try again. |
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'Dire' Market Conditions
GM Reportedly Closing Two European Plants General Motors appears to be losing patience with its ailing European subsidiary Opel. According to media reports, the US carmaker plans to close up to two plants in Europe. Bochum in Germany and Ellesmere Port in Britain apparently top the list for the cuts. |
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SPIEGEL Interview with Tomas Sedlacek
'Greed is the Beginning of Everything' In a SPIEGEL interview, Czech economist Tomas Sedlacek discusses morality in the current crisis and why he believes an economic policy that only pursues growth will always lead to debt. Those who don't know how to handle it, he argues, end up in a medieval debtor's prison, as the Greeks are experiencing today. |
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Picture This
Sink or Swim |
