Worldcrunch
STUTTGART — Such are the consequences of a long-distance relationship. Two-thirds of Germans of Turkish descent voted in favor of a reform of the Turkish constitution to give more powers to the presidency. That support helped lead to victory President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a man who does not shy away from drawing Nazi comparisons. What […]
-OpEd- BERLIN — The theater of war that is Syria has brought us scenes of a world devoid of rules: children killed by poisonous gas, the bodies of prisoners who were tortured or burned alive and a multitude of national armies and rebel groups that hack each other to pieces. In short, it has brought […]
MUNICH — It had to be this shoe. No other model could have achieved this revival. A sneaker invented 48 years ago and had since slipped into oblivion has now been resurrected. It’s the Adidas “Superstar”. According to research conducted by the American market research institute NPD Group, the bestselling sneaker in the U.S., which […]
-Essay- BERLIN — There we were, a group of female friends in their early 30s sitting around the dinner table one evening and, somehow, the conversation turns to having children. We all agree it would be nice to be a young mother because it is strangely cool being a young mum. But we all have […]
Germany’s right-wing AfD party says school courses give too much attention to Hitler’s reign, overlooking other historical periods. A syllabus offers an answer.
The Hornberger Uhrenspiele, in Germany’s scenic Black Forest, holds the record for biggest cuckoo clock in the world. My wife and I got to see it just a month after its inauguration, and watched the house-size clock’s wooden characters come to life to the tune of traditional German melodies. See more slides from My Grand-Père’s […]
MUNICH — On Oct. 5, German doctor Alexander Haase* opened his web browser and dropped merchandise he wanted to purchase into a checkout basket. He paid 590,99 euros — money that went into a Hungarian bank account. A few weeks later, an inconspicuous brown package arrived by DHL delivery. He opened it. There was a […]
-OpEd- BERLIN — The rise of populists has given way to an alarming reaction among so-called elites. Many of them are blaming themselves for not having considered those who have been “left behind,” for not having paid attention to the needs of common people. Journalists blame themselves for having been too politically correct, too fond […]
Monday’s edition of Die Tageszeitung features a front page that, at best, we can call overly creative. The Berlin daily’s editors unlikely photoshopped mash-up is a blend of two big stories from over the weekend : the death Saturday of rock’n’roll legend Chuck Berry at the age of 90, and the unanimous selection Sunday of […]
Many adolescents watch hard-core pornography online long before having their first sexual experiences. This changes how they deal with their own sexuality. Here’s Daniel’s story.
-Analysis- The German press coverage of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday is occasion for all kinds of scrutiny of public comments, handshakes, smiles and anything else that body language might tell us. But the encounter that may count more happens behind closed doors. And Merkel faces […]
It is high time to provide a new perspective for Israel and offer the country a membership in the European Union. A uniquely German point of view on Middle East peace.
Investigators in Mannheim, in southwestern Germany, have a real whodunnit on their hands, a brutal kidnapping-murder case — but with a twist. The victim is a five-kilogram Humboldt penguin whose lifeless and decapitated body was found last month in a local parking lot. The gruesome discovery came five days after the animal, of South American […]
-Analysis- It’s just a coincidence, but the symbolism is too hard to ignore. Two days ago, as every year on March 8, the world was celebrating women for, among other things, their “economic” and “political achievements.” Earlier today, South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled that President Park Geun-hye must be removed from office over a corruption […]
Beth sometimes sleeps for months. She suffers from a rare disorder — the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ syndrome. Her boyfriend Dan sits bedside every day. A different kind of timeless love story.
Our author attends a women’s conference in Berlin, and reaches a brutal conclusion about the very idea a ‘being a woman.’
-Analysis- MUNICH — The recent attacks on the Internet would be great material for a movie. But it would be more a horror film than action flick — and it could be a low-budget production since the victims could just be you and me. No need to pay high-priced movie stars. The screenplay would go […]
The over-50 age group holds enormous purchasing power, yet advertising aimed at older people often looks like cartoons of semi-active people happily going to the pharmacy. What can be done?
-OpEd- BERLIN — The expansion of Vladimir Putin’s authority is directly connected to his ability to exploit the weaknesses of Western democracies. But people continue to play down the danger that Putin poses. Could this prove to be a fatal error for our system of liberal democracy? “If you can’t beat them, join them,” or […]
The office of the bishop of Wurzburg recently received the rib of Saint Aquilinus. But why are the faithful obsessed with relics?
BERLIN — Is our intelligence determined by our genes? That’s the question driving genetic and psychological research ever since these scientific disciplines were born. But to this day, the question has yet to be answered. Our cognitive skills are determined by our genes, yes, but they are also influenced by the environment around us. But […]
Our era of authoritarian rulers and ‘alternative facts’ makes the guiding light of philosophy more vital than ever.
MUNICH — At first sight, it looks like a real bargain buy: five disposable razors for 85 cents, with Aloe-Vera sliding strips, “ideal for the bikini line.” No hesitation, the pink razors are in the basket. But wait: Two shelves to the right, there’s what looks like the same kind of package, but in blue. […]
-Analysis- BERLIN — On Saturday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump released a joint statement regarding their first phone call earlier that day. The statement about their 45-minute conversation noted — in the neutral tone common to all statements of this kind — that a wide range of topics were discussed: NATO, […]
Trump has threatened to levy punitive duties on German car imports. Companies like VW, Mercedes and others need to take that seriously, and come up with a Plan B.
MUNICH — What a crappy year you were 2016. With your terrorist attacks, the British going mad with Brexit and the Americans electing a Twitter troll as commander-in-chief. In Syria and other war zones, people were drowning all year in blood. On top of all of that, many of our most beloved artists and performers […]
BERLIN — The quality of organic food products is no better than non-organic offerings. At least that’s the result of a recent study by the consumer portal Vergleich.org. The study compared 49 test reports by German consumer organization Stiftung Warentest, which, over the course of a decade, analyzed approximately 1,000 food products ranging from meat, […]
I love Germany. I love Great Britain. I love Mexico. I love free trade. I like Angela Merkel, but I don’t know her. I liked President Obama. He was very nice. He was very nice in personal conversations. Maybe not so nice for the rest. NATO is obsolete. Apart from that, it’s still very important […]
MUNICH — After tallying the results of Santa’s wish list comes the next step: wishful thinking. With the turning of the calendar comes another New Year full of hopes and expectations as the list of resolutions pile up. It’s like closing-down sales: Everything must go, everything must change. Around the world, the vows look similar: […]
BERLIN — One recent underreported case of a 24-year-old Afghan in Germany is a perfect example of how hard it is for security authorities to track potentially dangerous Islamists. The suspected radical, who has disappeared near Hannover in Lower Saxony, had previously traveled to Afghanistan to be trained in the handling of explosives. Since July […]
What has Germany done to make people feel safer after the events of last New Year’s Eve, when hundreds of women were sexually abused in Cologne and other cities? Not much, writes author Birgit Kelle.
After the Christmas market attack in Berlin, the Western world would be wrong to assume it can prevent its cultural or political dissolution by merely repeating its prayers to the glory of diversity.
For some, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has become both the economic and moral leader of Europe. From tackling the eurozone’s debt crisis to countering Russian ambitions to bucking the tide of populism to welcome a million refugees into her country last year, Merkel has been lauded for her quiet but principled pragmatism in the face […]
Another week that will be stained in blood. For people in the West and throughout the (non-Orthodox) Christian world, this happens to be the week before the Christmas holiday, which leads us toward a new year. Few, at this point, have any illusions that 2017 can really be any less dreadful than 2016. Monday’s attacks […]
“Fear of terrorism in Berlin,” read the front page of Berlin-based daily Der Tagesspiegel on Tuesday, a day after a seven-ton truck plowed into a Christmas market in the heart of the German capital, killing 12 and wounding dozens. German police are investigating the event as a terrorist attack. Early this morning, police raided a […]
The entire German business model, based on exporting its goods and services, may have to change as populists forces surge in its leading trading partners.
MUNICH — Grief is demonstrative resistance against loss. Cemeteries and funerals are ways to combat death, preserving the lives of the departed by allowing people to remember them. Death, we are told, is a part of life. But those who went earlier this month to the cemetery on All Hallows, All Souls Day, will have […]
Family pictures, porn, German armed forces’ internal data – openly accessible on the internet. One mistake is enough and your privacy is destroyed.
European Parliament head Martin Schulz has been fighting for decades for a more influential Brussels. It will be a tough sell as he returns to the rough world of national politics.
Angela Merkel — and well, just about everyone else in Germany — better brace themselves. French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo launched a German version Thursday, the first version of the often cheeky, sometimes offensive weekly, in another language and country. The new version comes nearly two years after a jihadist attack at the Charlie Hebdo […]