| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on October 04, 2013, 06:28 PM CET |
| The Barefoot Mayor Local Hero Takes on Sicilian Corruption The new mayor of Messina is a man of the people. The tireless nonpartisan is known to go barefoot through the city. And in the land of Berlusconi, he is fighting against corruption, organized crime and widespread disenchantment with politics. |
| Berlusconi Vote Italian Senate Panel Recommends Expulsion In a widely expected development, an Italian Senate committee moved on Friday to recommend that Silvio Berlusconi be stripped of his position in the legislature. A court upheld the former prime minister's conviction in August on tax evasion charges. |
| Europe's Failure Bad Policies Caused the Lampedusa Tragedy More than 100 refugees died off the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa on Thursday after their boat sank. The tragedy shows in yet another horrendous way just how badly Europe's refugee policies have failed. |
| 'Yid Army' Football Teams' 'Jewish' Identities Questioned They call themselves the "Yid Army" and "Super Jews": For decades, the fans of football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax Amsterdam have maintained a Jewish identity despite lacking links to the religion. Criticism of the practice is growing. |
| Democratic Deficit Is Germany's Parliamentary Hurdle Obsolete? Last month's election saw nearly 7 million Germans voting for parties that ultimately fell short of the 5 percent hurdle required to win seats in parliament. Political scientists are arguing for the threshold to be lowered or eliminated to ensure democratic legitimacy. |
| Crisis Control Stability Fund Chief Expects Third Greek Bailout Greece might need a third aid package as soon as next year, Klaus Regling told a German paper Friday. But the head of the ESM permanent bailout fund is much more optimistic about the situation in Portugal and elsewhere in the euro zone. |
| End of the Ride Free Democrats Clear Out Offices Voted out of parliament in September, Germany's business-friendly Free Democratic Party is in the grips of an existential crisis. It has laid off 500 employees and faces an extremely uncertain future. |
| Homeland Revisited New 'Heimat' Film Likely to Divide Viewers German filmmaker Edgar Reitz, renowned for his "Heimat" television series, has created a prequel that is likely to polarize viewers. An experiment in slow motion, it forces the audience to confront the contrast with fast-paced modern life. |
| Screaming for Quiet Germans Crank Up Anti-Noise Protests Many Germans are growing fed up with all the noise pollution coming from planes, trains and automobiles. Despite numerous studies warning of associated health risks, politicians are merely giving lip service to the worries. |
| Picture This Post-Industrial Lighting |
