| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on July 24, 2013, 06:21 PM CET |
| BASTA 'LA CASTA' No End in Sight to Italy's Economic Decline The Italian economy may be the third largest in the euro zone, but it is also plagued by inefficiency and continues to shrink. The country's political leadership has proven unable to implement badly needed reforms and the future looks grim. |
| SNOWDEN'S LAWYER 'Russia Will Not Hand Him Over' Now that Russian authorities have provided him with papers, Edward Snowden will soon be able to leave the transit zone of the Moscow airport, where he has been holed up for weeks. In an interview, his lawyer discusses the whistleblower's plans and how Russia is testing the US. |
| NSA SPYING FALLOUT Germany Wants Tighter UN Privacy Rules Germany on Wednesday launched an effort to improve United Nations data protection regulations in light of the massive Internet surveillance undertaken by the US. Some top German officials would also like to see a data exchange treaty between the US and the EU suspended. |
| WAR ON WHISTLEBLOWERS Has Obama Scrapped First Amendment? President Obama is cracking down on leakers. Both Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning face prosecution under the Espionage Act, while a New York Times reporter was ordered to reveal his sources or risk jail time. Is Washington turning its back on freedom of the press? |
| (SM)ART INVESTING Rich Move Assets from Banks to Warehouses To avoid paying taxes, the rich are emptying their bank accounts in Switzerland and investing in art. This has spawned a new business of storing such works tax- and duty-free in warehouses across the world. |
| PROTESTS IN SOFIA Police Break Siege of Bulgarian Parliament Forty days of anti-government protests culminated Tuesday night in an eight-hour blockade of Bulgaria's parliament in Sofia. Police ended the siege on Wednesday morning, escorting more than 100 officials out of the building amid ongoing unrest. |
| HEAT BEATER Police Discover Swimming Pool on Wheels German police on Sunday pulled over four men driving a BMW convertible that had been converted into a motorized swimming pool. Despite their creativity, at least one could be facing charges for being drunk behind the wheel. |
| PICTURE THIS Decadent Drapes |
