http://www.spiegel.de Daily news, analysis and opinion from Europe's leading newsmagazine and Germany's top news Web site. en Sat, 25 May 2013 08:27:15 +0200 Sat, 25 May 2013 08:27:15 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de http://www.spiegel.de/static/sys/logo_120x61.gif http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/patient-drug-trials-western-firms-bribed-east-german-doctors-a-901206.html#ref=rss It wasn't just the East German government that benefited from risky patient drug trials commissioned by Western pharmaceutical manufacturers decades ago. These companies also sent liaisons with lavish gifts to bribe and influence doctors to participate. Wed, 22 May 2013 16:36:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/patient-drug-trials-western-firms-bribed-east-german-doctors-a-901206.html It wasn't just the East German government that benefited from risky patient drug trials commissioned by Western pharmaceutical manufacturers decades ago. These companies also sent liaisons with lavish gifts to bribe and influence doctors to participate.]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/political-conspiracy-theorists-seek-to-label-merkel-as-russian-sleeper-agent-a-900235.html#ref=rss Ever wondered what Angela Merkel had in mind with her decision to phase out nuclear energy? Dependency on Russian energy, if you believe some prominent conspiracy theorists. They'd like you to believe the German chancellor is some kind of KGB "sleeper agent" installed by Moscow at the end of the Cold War. Thu, 16 May 2013 17:53:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/political-conspiracy-theorists-seek-to-label-merkel-as-russian-sleeper-agent-a-900235.html Ever wondered what Angela Merkel had in mind with her decision to phase out nuclear energy? Dependency on Russian energy, if you believe some prominent conspiracy theorists. They'd like you to believe the German chancellor is some kind of KGB "sleeper agent" installed by Moscow at the end of the Cold War. ]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/western-drugmakers-tested-medicines-on-unwitting-east-germans-a-899594.html#ref=rss Until the fall of the Wall, Western pharmaceutical companies conducted drug trials in East German hospitals. More than 50,000 patients served as subjects, often without their knowledge, and many died. The human experiments haven't been fully investigated to this day despite fresh evidence of wrongdoing. Tue, 14 May 2013 17:37:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/western-drugmakers-tested-medicines-on-unwitting-east-germans-a-899594.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/new-book-suggests-angela-merkel-was-closer-to-communism-than-thought-a-899768.html#ref=rss A biography focusing on Chancellor Angela Merkel's time growing up in East Germany is making headlines because it suggests she was closer to the communist system than hitherto known. Her spokesman has denied she has covered anything up. Tue, 14 May 2013 16:04:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/new-book-suggests-angela-merkel-was-closer-to-communism-than-thought-a-899768.html A biography focusing on Chancellor Angela Merkel's time growing up in East Germany is making headlines because it suggests she was closer to the communist system than hitherto known. Her spokesman has denied she has covered anything up. ]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/industrial-ruins-forgotten-factories-of-former-east-germany-a-894061.html#ref=rss After Germany's reunification, factories across former East Germany shut down, fracturing communities and falling into disrepair. A new photo book details the abandoned workshops of a planned economy cut loose. Fri, 12 Apr 2013 16:13:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/industrial-ruins-forgotten-factories-of-former-east-germany-a-894061.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/documentary-explores-gay-and-lesbian-oppression-in-east-germany-a-883707.html#ref=rss East Germany decriminalized homosexuality early on, a move that was touted as an example of its progressivism. But a documentary that premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival this week shows the regime was still deeply homophobic. Fri, 15 Feb 2013 17:26:00 +0100 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/documentary-explores-gay-and-lesbian-oppression-in-east-germany-a-883707.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/soviets-used-carrot-and-stick-approach-to-undermine-west-in-postwar-berlin-a-867006.html#ref=rss Although Berlin was split into four sectors in 1945, the Soviets were determined to see a unified city under their control. Their tactics for undermining the other occupying powers ranged from seductive to brutal, and a desperate blockade backfired into a 40-year divide. Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:10:00 +0100 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/soviets-used-carrot-and-stick-approach-to-undermine-west-in-postwar-berlin-a-867006.html Although Berlin was split into four sectors in 1945, the Soviets were determined to see a unified city under their control. Their tactics for undermining the other occupying powers ranged from seductive to brutal, and a desperate blockade backfired into a 40-year divide.]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/east-german-patients-secretly-used-as-guinea-pigs-in-drug-trials-a-870984.html#ref=rss Prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany sold patients as unwitting guinea pigs in drug trials conducted on behalf of Western pharmaceutical companies, according to a TV documentary. Journalists have spoken to former patients and their relatives and unearthed official documents proving secret collusion between the East and West. Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:35:00 +0100 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/east-german-patients-secretly-used-as-guinea-pigs-in-drug-trials-a-870984.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/leipzig-is-the-new-berlin-a-863088.html#ref=rss Berlin used to be Germany's hippest city, but the once scruffy capital has long since succumbed to gentrification. The latest city to attract the creative class is the former East German industrial seat of Leipzig. Moving in by the thousands, they are lured by the euphoric buzz of cheap rent and youthful ingenuity. Wed, 24 Oct 2012 15:42:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/leipzig-is-the-new-berlin-a-863088.html Berlin used to be Germany's hippest city, but the once scruffy capital has long since succumbed to gentrification. The latest city to attract the creative class is the former East German industrial seat of Leipzig. Moving in by the thousands, they are lured by the euphoric buzz of cheap rent and youthful ingenuity.]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/a-daring-escape-from-communist-east-germany-to-the-west-via-china-a-861412.html#ref=rss They were young and in love -- and trapped in an oppressive regime. In 1987, an East German couple traveled clandestinely from Berlin to Beijing in a brazen attempt to escape to the West. Only one of them would make it to freedom. Fri, 19 Oct 2012 11:24:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/a-daring-escape-from-communist-east-germany-to-the-west-via-china-a-861412.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/weimar-exhibition-explores-legacy-of-ignored-east-german-art-a-861863.html#ref=rss Art created inside former East Germany has long been dismissed as a mere product of the communist regime, and much of it has remained hidden from the public. But a new exhibition in Weimar aims to rehabilitate these works as an expression of the failed utopian ideal on which the country was founded. Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:07:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/weimar-exhibition-explores-legacy-of-ignored-east-german-art-a-861863.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/commentary-on-right-wing-extremism-in-germany-a-851522.html#ref=rss Far-right violence against immigrants has become endemic in parts of Germany and that won't change anytime soon. The public and the police are too often indifferent to extremism, despite the risk it poses to the country's reputation. Deep down, Germany still hasn't grasped that it needs to embrace its minorities. Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:44:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/commentary-on-right-wing-extremism-in-germany-a-851522.html Far-right violence against immigrants has become endemic in parts of Germany and that won't change anytime soon. The public and the police are too often indifferent to extremism, despite the risk it poses to the country's reputation. Deep down, Germany still hasn't grasped that it needs to embrace its minorities.]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/artists-photographs-disappearing-sites-of-her-childhood-in-eastern-germany-a-847651.html#ref=rss After the Berlin Wall came down almost 23 years ago, many neighborhoods in the former East Germany began falling into disrepair. Artist and photographer Sarah Schönfeld, who grew up in the East Berlin district of Lichtenberg, describes how she began to document the decline in photos -- partly as a way of saying goodbye to the past. Wed, 01 Aug 2012 18:20:09 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/artists-photographs-disappearing-sites-of-her-childhood-in-eastern-germany-a-847651.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/a-look-back-at-east-german-writer-erwin-strittmatter-a-845248.html#ref=rss Erwin Strittmatter was one of the most successful and popular writers in East Germany. Now, on his 100th birthday, several new books dig deep into his past. The result is an unflattering picture of a man who was forced to find his peace with both the Nazis and the communists. Fri, 20 Jul 2012 16:23:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/a-look-back-at-east-german-writer-erwin-strittmatter-a-845248.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/stasi-agency-head-wants-office-to-remain-open-indefinitely-a-832312.html#ref=rss The files from the massive archive of the former East German secret police are currently scheduled to be handed over to united Germany's national archive in 2019. However, the head of the special agency that currently handles the files says it should retain responsibility for the controversial documents. Fri, 11 May 2012 18:29:10 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/stasi-agency-head-wants-office-to-remain-open-indefinitely-a-832312.html The files from the massive archive of the former East German secret police are currently scheduled to be handed over to united Germany's national archive in 2019. However, the head of the special agency that currently handles the files says it should retain responsibility for the controversial documents. ]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/trend-sees-increase-in-eastern-germans-returning-from-west-a-829537.html#ref=rss Since reunification, people have been abandoning eastern Germany in search of jobs and a better life in the west. But many are now returning home. Homesickness is one reason, but improvements in the job market and quality of life are also attractive. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:54:28 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/trend-sees-increase-in-eastern-germans-returning-from-west-a-829537.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/report-shows-highest-percentage-of-atheists-in-former-east-germany-a-828526.html#ref=rss Belief in God varies greatly between different countries, but the percentage of believers in the former East Germany is lower than anywhere else, "anchoring the secular pole" internationally, according to a new report by an American research organization. But even in this unpious region, the rate of believers increases with age. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:20:00 +0200 http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/report-shows-highest-percentage-of-atheists-in-former-east-germany-a-828526.html Belief in God varies greatly between different countries, but the percentage of believers in the former East Germany is lower than anywhere else, "anchoring the secular pole" internationally, according to a new report by an American research organization. But even in this unpious region, the rate of believers increases with age. ]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/ibraimo-alberto-describes-racism-in-east-german-town-of-schwedt-a-820886.html#ref=rss Mozambique-born Ibraimo Alberto was the only black man in the eastern German town of Schwedt. But half a year ago, after 21 years, he fled the daily racism and moved to the western city of Karlsruhe with his family. The social worker and former boxer is trying to come to terms with his experiences. Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:03:00 +0100 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/ibraimo-alberto-describes-racism-in-east-german-town-of-schwedt-a-820886.html http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/exile-in-chile-former-east-german-leader-s-wife-is-homesick-a-813785.html#ref=rss She may be "tough" and "sporty," but the exiled widow of East Germany's former leader still misses home. Margot Honecker longs for the forests and wild mushrooms of Germany, the author of a new book about her husband says. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:45:00 +0100 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/exile-in-chile-former-east-german-leader-s-wife-is-homesick-a-813785.html She may be "tough" and "sporty," but the exiled widow of East Germany's former leader still misses home. Margot Honecker longs for the forests and wild mushrooms of Germany, the author of a new book about her husband says. ]]> http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/1944-massacre-in-france-german-police-raid-homes-of-six-former-ss-soldiers-a-802019.html#ref=rss German officials have raided the homes of six former SS soldiers suspected of taking part in the massacre of 642 French civilians in 1944, prosecutors said this week. But the investigation may not get far. Little evidence was found, and the suspects were either unfit for interrogation or denied the allegations. Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:59:00 +0100 http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/1944-massacre-in-france-german-police-raid-homes-of-six-former-ss-soldiers-a-802019.html German officials have raided the homes of six former SS soldiers suspected of taking part in the massacre of 642 French civilians in 1944, prosecutors said this week. But the investigation may not get far. Little evidence was found, and the suspects were either unfit for interrogation or denied the allegations.]]>