With an economic downturn looming, the EU moved to shore up its automobile industry on Wednesday, provoking the ire of environmental groups. Germany too has cobbled together a package, eyeing incentives to encourage investments in green technologies.
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Dutch Architect Rem Koolhaas likes to think in S, M and L, but especially in XL. And that pretty much describes his next project — a think tank to help overhaul the European Union. In an interview, he discusses the need for a stronger EU role in the world and why we need to stop acting superior when it comes to Russia and China.
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Nicolas Sarkozy is known to be one of Europe’s most status-conscious politicians. That, of course, has made him a ripe target for satire. A new YouTube hit pokes fun at “President Bling-Bling,” while a dismissed lawsuit allows a Sarkozy voodoo doll to continue its brisk sales.
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On Wednesday the European Commission backed the crisis-strangled car industry’s call for a bailout by way of low-interest loans. It also doubled its crisis fund for troubled member states and announced that it would soon unveil plans for fighting the global downturn. German papers mull over the decisions made in Brussels.
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As Americans prepare to vote, historian Eric Foner speaks to SPIEGEL about the current crisis of confidence in the United States, the roots of US exceptionalism and the country’s ever-changing concept of freedom.
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Google gathers so much detailed information about its users that one critic says some state intelligence bureaus look “like child protection services” in comparison. A few German government bodies have mounted a resistance.
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In the mid-1990s, few in Germany had ever heard of Halloween, and even fewer celebrated it. Now, it’s a 150 million a year industry. The holiday’s success can be traced to a single marketing genius.
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The last passengers mill around the concourse, the baggage claim belt is at a standstill. After 85 years, Thursday is the last day flights will leave Germany’s most famous airport. It once hosted Marlene Dietrich and the Beatles, but it will now give up the stage to a massive new international airport.
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In Iraq, the persecution of Christians continues, as murders and a mass exodus contradict Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s promise of security for everyone. Churches are trying to help the refugees, and some may come to Germany — if the government settles on a plan.
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