GERMANY NEWS

GERMANY NEWS

1. AfD Campaign Finance Trouble: A Right-Wing Populist Slush Fund Exposed

   The right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany is already embroiled in a campaign donation scandal. But documents obtained by DER SPIEGEL show that more trouble could be on the horizon due to a murky slush fund used in the party's early days.

2. German Doomsday Preppers: Harmless Stockpilers or Neo-Nazi Survivalists?

   In Germany, a radical subset of doomsday preppers is hoarding food, amassing arsenals and getting ready to kill migrants, Muslims and leftists. The German government is only just waking up to the far-right threat lurking in the scene. By DER SPIEGEL Staff

3. Elon Takes Berlin: Plans for Tesla Plant Jostle German Car Industry

   Electric automaker Tesla announced its plans to build a major factory just outside Berlin this week. The move is a major development in an industry shakeup that is causing the upheaval of the entire German automobile industry. By DER SPIEGEL Staff

4. Trans-Atlantic Hate: Neo-Nazi 'Atomwaffen Division' Spreads Fear in Germany

   German politicians and activists have been the focus of a wave of vicious, neo-Nazi threats of late, many of them signed by a new extremist group from the U.S. called the "Atomwaffen Division." Security officials in Germany are concerned.

5. Interview with Mikhail Gorbachev: 'It Was Impossible To Go On Living Like Before'

   In a DER SPIEGEL interview, former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev speaks about the fall of the Berlin Wall, why perestroika was unavoidable and the present-day relationship between the West and Russia.

6. Freedom of Speech: Germany Struggles To Define Limits of What Can Be Said

   A debate over the limits of free speech is exploding in Germany, with the left and the right seeking to outdo each other. The political debate has grown intense in this polarized country, but it's also more vital than ever. By DER SPIEGEL Staff

7. Battle over the Defense Budget: Germany Remains Tepid on NATO 2-Percent Goal

   U.S. President Donald Trump has been extremely critical of German defense spending. But in a midterm government report, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz successfully prevented an explicit pledge to increase the defense budget.

8. War Games: German Syria Proposal a Risk for Merkel Ally

   By proposing a security zone in northern Syria, Germany's defense minister has irked important allies in Berlin and taken international partners by surprise. It is a risky move and could determine whether she will succeed Merkel as chancellor. By DER SPIEGEL Staff

9.  'The Man Was a Twit': Historian Christopher Clark on the Hohenzollern Dispute

   In what has grown into a major battle between the former royal family of Prussia and the state of Brandenburg, Germany, historian Christopher Clark prepared an expert opinion on behalf of the Hohenzollerns. In an interview, he comments on the controversy that has unfolded around the legal altercation.

10. The Mobility Revolution: Urban Planners Herald End of Cars in Cities

    With bad air, clogged streets and packed trains, Germany's major cities are suffocating on their own attractiveness. Now, thousands of e-scooters are also crowding bike lines. Long known as a car paradise, the country is experiencing a revolution. Is anyone noticing? By DER SPIEGEL Staff