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blog

Paris Fugitive, Merkel On Sex Attacks, “Beaming” Snowden

POLICE FIND PRINTS OF PARIS ATTACKS FUGITIVE Belgian police have found a fingerprint of Salah Abdeslam, the fugitive jihadist who participated in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks, in a Brussels apartment, where the suicide belts worn by some of the terrorists were made, Le Soir reports. The discoveries were made almost a month ago, but […]

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Ideas Migrant Lives

Mass Assaults On German Women, A Clash Of Cultures Exposed

A wave of violence rocked Cologne on New Year’s Eve, when more than 100 women reported that men of Arab and North African appearance robbed, groped and raped them. Though shocking in Germany, such attacks are all too common in Arab countries, wher

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blog

Germany Reacts To New Year’s Mob Violence, Sexual Assault

Die Tageszeitung, Jan. 6 “The Outcry” is the front-page headline for German daily Die Tageszeitung on Wednesday, alongside a blurry picture of a group of men next to the Cologne Cathedral on New Year’s Eve, as a spate of alleged sexual assaults and robberies is fueling renewed debate over immigration in Germany. Hundreds of people, […]

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Ideas Society

The University Of … Stressed-Out Students

College students increasingly describe how the pressure to perform well is wreaking havoc on their well-being. Research even shows a worrying trend toward psychological conditions related to the strain. Here’s how to prevent the worst.

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blog

On This Day – January 2

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Economy Future Green Or Gone

Behind The Musk: A Foreign Eye On The Tesla Car Revolution

Perhaps just as fascinating as the electric cars is the company’s founder and the genuinely earnest ideal among employees to make the world a better place.

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Geopolitics Migrant Lives

When Refugee Children Disappear

About 60,000 underage refugees have arrived in Germany this year without their parents. An alarming number are disappearing from custody. Experts warn they are vulnerable to both human traffickers and Islamists.

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Society

We Germans Take Christmas Far Too Seriously

In Italy and Spain, there’s more time to casually socialize. Americans unapologetically dive into the consumerist crush of gifts. But in Germany, Christmas is a solemn pseudo-Christian ritual with much too much pressure on everyone.

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Geopolitics Migrant Lives

German Police Warn Of Terrorist Infiltration Among Refugees

Border police and other German law enforcement unions say a black market of passports and insufficent border controls are creating a major security risk amidst the surge of Syrian refugees.

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blog

Report: Ousted Volkswagen Boss Still On Payroll

Despite officially resigning in September at the height of Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn is still on the company’s payroll and could earn millions until his contract terminates at the end of 2016, an investigation by Germany’s business daily Handelsblatt and TV network ZDF reveals. Winterkorn, 68, who pulls in an annual […]

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Future

The E-Cycle, Pedaling That Fine Line Of Ecology And Utility

Bicycles with electric motors are becoming more popular and controversial at the same time. Environmentalists wonder if cyclists are losing their carbon neutrality in pursuit of an extra boost.

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blog

A Land Of Fairy Tales

Visiting the Schwarzwälder Freilichtmuseum Vogtsbauernhof is like getting lost in a fairy tale. The open air museum, in the middle of the Black Forest, takes you back to rural Germany 400 years ago. Is that Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother sewing something for Hansel and Gretel?

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blog

New Arab Anti-Terror Coalition, Syrian Talks, Very Merry Junk

SAUDI ANNOUNCES ANTI-TERROR COALITION Saudi Arabia announced today that it is leading a military coalition of Arab countries against Islamic terrorism, the Saudi Press Agency reports. Other alliance countries include Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan and Gulf Arab and African states. A joint statement said that a joint operations center would […]

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Society

Why German Business Leaders Don’t Want A Burqa Ban

MUNICH — The conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party in the southern state of Bavaria wants Germany to ban the burqa. But the toughest opposition to the proposal may come from what is otherwise a natural CSU ally: local business leaders. Should a ban be implemented similar to the one France approved in 2010, it […]

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Geopolitics Ideas Society Syria Crisis

Why They Flee: Our Shared Destiny With The Middle East

The war in Syria is triggering the escape of many, but the true cause can be found much deeper. Arab societies need such vast reforms that Europe must stand as a model, rather than play realpolitik.

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Society

MOOCs And Privacy, German Fears About Online Student Data

More and more universities around the world offer so-called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). With top Munich universities using the online education provider Coursera, doubts grow over security and the selling of customer data.

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Geopolitics

New Study: Economic Crisis Shifts Voters To Political Right

A study recently released in Germany demonstrates that right-wing parties win on average 30% more votes after a financial crisis. The success of France’s Marine Le Pen is just the latest example.

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Society

Hidden Perils Of The Attachment Parenting Movement

Europe is increasingly turning to this approach of child rearing that sees kids and adults as equals. It may have unforeseen effects on children — but even more so on parents.

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Green Or Gone Ideas

Religion And Ecology, Not Always A Natural Marriage

Muslims are supposed to save water, Christians and Jews energy. In the past, we blamed those ideologies for ecological crises.

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Food / Travel Future Society

Digital Detox: How To Get Offline, Ideas From Around The World

In our increasingly digital world, people often feel the need to disconnect from the Internet for a dose of silence and breath of fresh air. Worldcrunch has reported recent stories from Brazil to California, about the hunt for “digital detox” solutions. With the help of the Internet (!), we’ve tracked down five other examples of […]

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Society

A New Feminist Argument Against Abortion

Shouldn’t women who believe it’s wrong to abort a girl just because she’s a girl also believe it’s wrong to abort a baby just because she might have a disability? One self-described feminist author argues yes.

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Future Ideas

A Peek Into The Strange And Colorful World Of Synaesthesia

HAMBURG — In Birgit Böhm’s opinion, the “4” she’s looking at is balancing on one leg, like in the nursery rhyme “A little man in the forest,” and wearing a little red cloak. The “7” next to it looks like it’s made of thick gardening wire. And it’s green! The rest of the numbers and […]

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Economy Geopolitics

Deutsche Bank And The Thorny Question Of Banker Bonuses

Deutsche Bank’s new chief John Cryan believes end-of-year bonus demands harm the company. But bonus culture may be too deeply embedded throughout the financial sector.

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Future Society

Beyond Electric Cars: Inside Audi’s Big Bet On “Power-To-Gas” Technology

German carmaker Audi has commissioned Etogas Ltd. to build the planet’s first power-to-gas plant to fuel cars with transformed wind and solar energy. Could this “windgas” technology make today’s electric cars obsolete?

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Geopolitics Terror in Europe

In Germany, Exploiting Paris Attacks To Link Refugees And Terrorism

Germany was already clashing over the country’s recent migrant crisis. Now, the nationalist PEGIDA group is playing with fire by using the Islamist terror attack to justify its extremist positions.

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Future

What Freud Got Wrong About Sadness And Mourning

Much of what we think we know about sadness is still based on what the father of pychoanalysis wrote 100 years ago, but psychologists and brain researchers are starting to discover more about the feeling’s true mechanisms.

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Society

Top Bosses More Likely To Be Narcissistic And Machiavellian

The good news, according to this German study? Actual psychopaths rarely make it to the top …

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Food / Travel Society

Introducing The World’s First Halal Sparkling Wine

Muslim guests at celebrations will no longer have to stand around with a Coke in their hands. For Munich’s Four Seasons Hotel, a local company has produced the first-ever non-alcoholic sparkling wine made in accordance with Islamic law.

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Ideas Society

When Fear Of The Future Paralyzes Teens

Climate change, pollution, terrorism. Teenagers are increasingly scared of what’s ahead, and why wouldn’t they be? While a certain amount of fear is normal, psychologists advise teens to get help when anxiety takes over.

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Society

Study Finds Link Between Homophobia And Mental Illness

Though homophobia is not itself a mental illness, a new study finds that people who are prejudiced against gays and lesbians often do have mental disorders. But it’s unclear what we’re supposed to do with this insight.

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Society

Modern Dads And The Career Risks Of Paternity Leave

A new study finds that fathers who take more than two months of parental leave for the birth of a child see a sharp decrease in promotion opportunities and are often asked to go part-time, a scenario all too familiar to women.

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Society

Why Boredom Is Good For Your Kids

MUNICH — To be a parent is to be a victim. That’s at least the message some parents convey. Yes, of course children are wonderful and sweet and all that jazz. But let’s be honest, aren’t some of the things children say just annoying? “I don’t liiike it.” “I don’t waaant to.” “Are we theeere […]

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Ideas Society

Germany Asks: Can We Even Use The Word “Race”?

One of the most controversial words in the German language is the focus of a conference in Dresden, a city that itself is filled with highly charged meaning, past and present.

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Geopolitics

Why Netanyahu’s Holocaust Theory Sounds So Ugly In Germany

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked outrage with his thesis that a Palestinian gave Adolf Hitler the idea to annihilate the Jews. It is, of course, utter nonsense. But from a German perspective, there is another problem.

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blog

Gay Syrian Refugees Victimized By Fellow Muslim Refugees

DRESDEN — Thousands of kilometers away from their war-torn home, and yet they still don’t feel safe. Three gay Syrians who say they’ve been harassed by Muslim refugees in Dresden decided to tell their story to German news agency DPA. Ahmad Suliman says that if he had come out openly about his sexual orientation in […]

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blog

Cologne Mayor Candidate Survives Stabbing, Wins Election

Frankfurter Allgemeine, Oct. 19, 2015 Accompanied by an ominous photograph of the culprit’s weapons, German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine dedicated its front page Monday to the stabbing of, and subsequent victory by Cologne’s incoming mayor, Henriette Reker. “Rekker wins Cologne election after assassination attempt,” writes the conservative daily. Reker — an independent candidate supported by Chancellor […]

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Geopolitics Migrant Lives Syria Crisis

Germany Grapples With Sexual Violence In Refugee Camps

Molested, harassed, abused: Women in refugee camps are increasingly victims of sexual violence. Authorities in Hamburg try to react.

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blog

EU Migrant Meeting, VW Recall, Boorish Boris

EU LEADERS TO DISCUSS REFUGEE SOLUTIONS EU leaders are set to meet in Brussels today to discuss measures that could help stem the flow of refugees, with a focus on countries outside of Europe such as Turkey, Euronews reports. In a speech to German parliament this morning, Chancellor Angela Merkel said providing more support to […]

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Society

Why German Protestants Will Stop Trying To Convert Muslims

Church leaders believe Christian missionary work is endangering civil peace as ever more Muslims emigrate to Germany. Limiting proselytizing is a radical break from 2,000 years of practice.

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Geopolitics Ideas

Germany’s Refugee Crisis And The Remaking Of Angela Merkel

Typically reliant on solid argument and logical persuasion, Merkel is now turning to the humanity of Germans on the refugee crisis. It’s a revolutionary approach for the world’s most powerful woman.

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