| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on June 06, 2013, 06:14 PM CET |
| HIGH WATER HELL Merkel Promises More Aid to Flood Victims Flooding continued to overwhelm parts of Germany on Thursday, prompting Angela Merkel to visit affected communities. The country will provide as much aid to victims as it can afford, the chancellor said. |
| EMPTY FUND EU Lacks Money for Flood Aid Germany and several of its neighbors have been battling record flooding for days. But the European Union said on Wednesday that the aid fund for such disasters is depleted. The bloc's budget deadlock means that Central Europe will have to go it alone. |
| THE TRUTH ABOUT ERDOGAN Turkey's 'Other 50 Percent' Demand a Voice Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is driving a wedge through his country. While one half reveres him as a savior, the other reviles him as a dictator. By continuing to condemn his opponents and ignore their demands, he is playing a dangerous game. |
| AYATOLLAH'S RUSE Iran's Presidential Election Offers No Real Choice On June 14, Iranians will choose their next president, but the candidates have been handpicked by an increasingly unyielding Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Hopes for a quick resolution to the nuclear conflict will likely go unfulfilled. |
| RISKY RENOVATIONS Kiel Canal Overhaul Threatens Hamburg Port The Kiel Canal has long kept the Port of Hamburg alive, providing Germany's biggest port with a direct link to countries further east. Now, though, a massive overhaul of the waterway could prompt shipowners to switch to rival terminals. |
| HIGH COURT RULING Germany Grants Tax Equality to Gay Couples Gay and lesbian couples in civil unions should have the same joint tax filing rights as married heterosexual couples, Germany's highest court ruled Thursday, dealing a blow to Chancellor Merkel's conservatives. |
| 'NOTABLE FAILURES' IMF Admits Major Mistakes on Greek Bailout The International Monetary Fund conceded on Wednesday that it lowered its own standards on the Greek bailout, underestimating the effects of austerity and making overly optimistic projections for Greece's economy. |
| WORLD FROM BERLIN Drone Debacle 'Extremely Embarrassing' The cancellation of the Euro Hawk surveillance drone program means the waste of a half billion euros in German taxpayer money. But somehow Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziére seems to have survived the debacle. German commentators wonder why. |
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