| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on December 19, 2013, 05:07 PM CET |
| ROBOTICS CHALLENGE Creating the Disaster Response of the Future Seventeen rescue robots are competing in Florida this weekend, where their task is to clear away debris, break through walls and climb ladders -- a test run for their use in future disaster scenarios. But the humanoid figures are still a little shaky on their feet. |
| NOT FIT FOR THE NEXT CRISIS Europe's Brittle Banking Union German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has negotiated a European banking union suited perfectly to his country's tastes. It looks like a victory, but it could prove to be very expensive if Europe or Germany face another financial crisis. |
| TAKING RESPONSIBILITY France Seeks Help for Africa Intervention Despite its financial troubles, France remains committed to an expensive military intervention in the Central African Republic. Now the country is looking to its European partners, chiefly Germany, to support the operation. |
| CRIME INFESTED Quarter of NPD Officials Have Been Prosecuted Around one-quarter of the leadership of Germany's extremist National Democratic Party has been convicted of a crime, according to a newspaper report. The news could add fuel to the national debate over whether to ban the party. |
| DEAD SEA Environmentalists Question Pipeline Rescue Plan An "historic" agreement between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians is supposed to save the shrinking Dead Sea. But some environmentalists believe the plan to pump water from the Red Sea could do the salt lake more harm than good. |
| PICTURE THIS Rise and Shine |
