Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Thursday 29 November 2012


SPIEGEL ONLINEINTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER 

Compiled on November 29, 2012, 06:35 PM CET

'BOUNTY LOVES HURRICANES'

A Legendary Ship's Final Hours Battling Sandy

As Hurricane Sandy approached the East Coast in late October, Captain Robin Walbridge wanted to save his ship, the legendaryBounty. He set out to sea to ride out the storm -- a decision which ended in disaster. He lost the ship, a crewmember and his own life.

GERMANY'S ABSTENTION

Berlin Stuck in the Middle on Palestinian Vote

Ahead of the United Nations vote that is set to recognize a Palestinian state, Germany has announced it will abstain. The move reveals Berlin's complicated foreign policy loyalties on the issue -- and once again reveals Europe's inability to reach consensus on a key foreign policy issue.

ENDANGERED CHRISTMAS TRADITION

Birthplace of the Nutcracker Seeks New Recruits

The proud artisans of Seiffen gave the world the nutcracker and are determined to keep their centuries-old craft alive. The Christmas industry in the Ore Mountains of Germany has survived economic crises, wars, communism and a wave of Chinese replicas -- but is now at risk from a lack of young apprentices.

LETTER FROM BERLIN

Why Merkel Need Not Fear the Opposition

Last summer, Germany's opposition Social Democrats said they were through blindly following Chancellor Merkel's euro-crisis course. But on Friday, the party is once again set to support a package of aid measures for Greece. The lack of an alternative does not bode well for the party in next year's elections.

WHERE DID THE YO GO?

Russia High-Tech Offensive Stalls

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been pumping billions into efforts to revive his country's reputation as a high-tech powerhouse. The Yo-mobil hybrid minicar is just the latest in a series of ambitious projects to stall soon after being unveiled.

NAZI NAME

One German Town's Struggle with History

Völklingen, a town in the western German state of Saarland, has had a district named after a Nazi war criminal for the past 56 years. Many residents are fighting passionately to make sure that it stays that way.

CONCORDE CRASH RULING

French Court Overturns Criminal Conviction of Continental Airlines

A French appeals court on Thursday overturned part of a 2010 lower court ruling that had found Continental Airlines criminally liable for the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde jet that killed 113 people. However, it reaffirmed the civil penalties.

CONQUERING THE CAPITAL

The Ruthless Rise of the Nazis in Berlin

In the mid-1920s, Joseph Goebbels was given the difficult task of fostering support for the growing Nazi Party in Berlin, "the reddest city in Europe besides Moscow." But, by 1933, a combination of street brutality and political smarts succeeded in catapulting the party past rival parties.

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