| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on April 05, 2012, 06:28 PM CET |
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Nobel Laureate Under Fire
Grass Says Campaign Against Him 'Injurious' German Nobel laureate Günter Grass has taken to the airwaves to address the raging controversy surrounding his new poem, which is sharply critical of Israel. Yet the debate continues to broaden, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joining the fray on Thursday. |
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Israeli Historian Tom Segev
Grass 'Is Still Thinking About His SS Silence' In the past, Israeli journalist and historian Tom Segev has defended Günter Grass from claims that he tried to portray Germans as victims in World War II. But following the publication of Grass's Israel-critical poem this week, Segev argues the German author is driven more by his silence over his SS past than concerns about the future of humanity. |
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Confusion at the Pumps
Big Oil's Strategy for Jacking Up Gas Prices Prices at German gas pumps oscillate wildly, sometimes changing several times a day. The rises and falls are far from random, however. Studies and market observers say it is an attempt by big oil to ratchet up the cost of a fill-up as high as possible. |
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Berlin's Oil Bonanza
Hefty Gas Taxes Fill Up Germany's Coffers Over half of the price of gas in Germany -- or roughly 40 billion euros each year -- goes straight into federal coffers. These taxes are steeper than almost anywhere else in Europe, but they don't go toward the environmental goals used to justify them. |
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Historian Michael Wolffsohn on Israel Poem
'Grass Has Written an Anti-Semitic Pamphlet' Nobel Prize laureate Günter Grass has caused a controversy with a new poem criticizing Israel's policies against Iran. In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, the German historian Michael Wolffsohn accuses Grass of anti-Semitism and rehashing far-right stereotypes about Jews. |
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The World from Berlin
Günter Grass Specializes in 'Self-Righteousness' In his poem about Israel and Iran published on Wednesday, German Nobel laureate Günter Grass expressed the fear that he would be labelled anti-Semitic for his anti-Israeli stance. Some commentators in Germany on Thursday say that the fear was more than justified. |
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Botella's Battle
Madrid's Mayor Chips Away at Debt and Tradition Spain is frantically trying to reduce its debts. While conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is doing so at the national level, Ana Botella is slashing away at spending in Madrid, Spain's most heavily indebted city. In the process, the mayor is blazing her own path. |
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Austerity Suicide
Pensioner's Death Sparks Clashes in Athens Violent protests have erupted in Athens following the public suicide of a 77-year-old retired man. A note he left behind accused the Greek government of impoverishing him with its debt crisis austerity measures, a message that resonated with demonstrators. Many are blaming the state for his death. |
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SPIEGEL Interview with Singer Thomas Quasthoff
'There Was Certainly a Bonus for Being Disabled' German bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff, one of Germany's best known classical singers, recently announced his decision to retire from the stage. In a SPIEGEL interview, he discusses his thalidomide disability, his talent for entertaining an audience and what he sees as his mission in life. |
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Picture This
Riding High |
