Author: Spiegel.de

In an interview, Clemens Fuest, one of Germany’s top economists, discusses the impact of the coronavirus on governments and business. He says bankruptcies are inevitable and that the effects of the crisis will be with us for a long time to come.

Germans could lose as much as 390 billion euros due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some groups have been hit harder than others, and even a big chunk of the middle class is at risk of slipping into poverty.

One in 10 people infected with the coronavirus suffers from fatigue, muscle aches or neurological disorders for weeks after surviving an infection. What long-term damage does the virus do to the body?

Lebanon’s kafala system provides citizens with migrant household labor, though its critics say it’s more like slavery. Workers have virtually no rights and must often endure hunger, beatings and humiliation. The economic crisis could change this.

Mismanagement of a coronavirus outbreak in Ischgl, the Austrian resort town known for its après-ski debauchery, helped spread the pathogen across Europe. Now the relatives of those who died want justice.

For five years, the sporting world has been gripped by Russian manipulation of the anti-doping system. Now new evidence suggests the whistleblower who went into a witness protection program during the scandal may not have been entirely truthful.

Beginning July 1, the Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, could begin the process of annexing parts of the West Bank, despite this being a violation of international law. For many inhabitants of the region, their future is at stake.

With the growing risk of a hard Brexit, the danger is increasing that European and British collaboration on law enforcement will be discontinued. So far, the back-up plans haven’t been very convincing.

German slaughterhouses have been hit recently with horrifying coronavirus outbreaks, with over 1,000 cases in one facility. The industry, and its biggest players, share the blame. Change could be coming. By DER SPIEGEL Staff

As the recent outbreak in Germany shows, meat processing facilities offer perfect conditions for the transmission of coronaviruses, with cool temperatures and people cramped in close quarters. Additional changes are needed to protect workers – and theoretically even consumers.

Guyana has always been one of South America’s poorest countries. But now that ExxonMobil has discovered a new oil field off the coast, the tiny nation could become one of the world’s richest. But will it be a blessing or a curse?

Beijing is ruthlessly expanding its power. But resistance is growing around the world — and Germany will soon play a key role.

Millions of Americans have seen their wages stagnate for decades, even as the wealthiest have grown fantastically rich. Economists Angus Deaton and Anne Case believe the health-care system is partly to blame, and the coronavirus is highlighting the broader dangers American society is facing.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems to be planning to take his country out of the European Union at the end of the year, even without a deal. The Continent is trying to limit the damage, but it would spell disaster for the British.

Germans are finally able to travel to their favorite holiday destination again: Italy. In the tourist city of Rimini, hosts are setting up lounge chairs and putting out the umbrellas, but even so, this summer won’t be the same.

The European Central Bank’s bond-buying program has been heavily criticized in Germany. But ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos says it is a necessity in these times of crisis. He also praises the German response to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

A vast rivalry is developing between the U.S. and China in the race to develop a coronavirus vaccine. The health of billions of people depends on the outcome. How can the vaccine be fairly distributed? By DER SPIEGEL Staff

Popular support for Sweden’s lax response to the coronavirus is waning and the situation in the country’s retirement homes is concerning. The architect of the Swedish approach, Anders Tegnell, is standing by his prescribed course.

With Ursula von der Leyen as Commission President and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about to take over the presidency of the European Council, the European Union is set to be run by two German women with a long history. The Continent might never be the same. By DER SPIEGEL Staff

An investigation by DER SPIEGEL and partners has revealed that the Greek Coast Guard intercepts refugee boats, puts the migrants in life rafts, tows them toward Turkey and then abandons them to their fate. What do German troops in the area know about the practice?

French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, 51, believes that the European Union is now back on track after some dicey moments earlier in the corona crisis. In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, though, he says that Europe isn’t out of the woods yet.

A legacy of the colonial mindset, the market for skin-lightening products is booming in Ghana, with even some international conglomerates pushing bleaching creams. But the side effects can be deadly.

In order to punish the Germans for their supposedly low military expenditures, U.S. President Donald Trump wants to withdraw troops from the country. Observers see it a petty move by former Ambassador Richard Grenell that will primarily hurt American interests.

Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble is supportive of the EU response to the corona crisis. He would also like to see Germany finally do more for its own security. He discusses those issues and more in this DER SPIEGEL interview.

Philipp Amthor, a young up-and-comer in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right CDU, is facing sanctions of wielding his political influence for private gain. Could a promising career have already reached the end of the road? By DER SPIEGEL Staff

Prominent American economist Nouriel Roubini does not believe the global economy will recover quickly. He believes that the dire situation will produce a summer of protest in the U.S. and years of difficulties in Europe as well.

This country has a racism problem, too. Whether casual bigotry, institutionalized discrimination or far-right violence, the treatment of people of color in Germany has stayed off the political agenda for too long. Not anymore.

Following the killing of George Floyd in the U.S., a debate on racism has erupted in Germany too. The Berlin-based researcher Yasemin Shooman explains how structural racism works in the country.

The coronavirus has plunged Spain into what could be its worst economic crisis in 80 years. The Socialist government is trying to mitigate the impact with basic income for the country’s neediest.

The Israeli government is considering the annexation of significant parts of the West Bank. Doing so would mark the end of the Middle East peace process, warns Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn. He would like to see a sharp EU response.

With massive investments around the world, China helped to prop up the global economy after the 2008 financial crisis. But this time around, the country is busy taking care of itself.

In four decades as a correspondent in Africa, I have driven and flown some 2 million kilometers throughout the continent. A lot has changed since I first arrived, but much has stayed the same. My departure is bittersweet.

Mohamedou Slahi was wrongfully imprisoned in Guantanamo for more than 14 years. Now Hollywood wants to make a movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jodie Foster about the man who says he’s forgiven his tormentors.

Towns and cities in eastern Poland have been mobilizing against the LGBT+ community for some time. The culture war is an indicator of just how divided the country has become.

In an interview, Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former head of the World Health Organization, is critical of China’s early management of the outbreak of the coronavirus. She also says that the Europeans were too cavalier in their initial response and warns that the next epidemic could be much worse.

Coronavirus, economic collapse and now mass demonstrations for racial equality: The United States is facing a trio of deep crises. Instead of offering leadership, President Donald Trump is exacerbating divisions and showing authoritarian tendencies. With the presidential election still several months away, the country’s health is at stake.

Police in Germany believe they have found a likely suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in May 2007. Is this the spectacular breakthrough that has evaded justice officials across Europe for more than a decade? By DER SPIEGEL Staff

The countries hardest hit by the coronavirus are those with a deep divide between the rich and the poor. The pandemic is exacerbating those differences dramatically. Outrage is growing in many places and could soon spread.

Tensions between the U.S. and China are on the rise, with Germany and Europe stuck in the middle. German Chancellor Angela Merkel would like to find a solution, but plenty of hurdles stand in the way.

After years of being overrun by tourists, Amsterdam is suddenly rediscovering what life is like without visitors. The city’s infamous red-light district is currently empty, and the prostitutes who work there are afraid it could stay that way.

A leading German politician has proposed ridding Germany of American nuclear weapons. Two advisers to U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden argue that doing so would significantly weaken NATO and Germany. 

The coronavirus is linking two worlds that often have little to do with each other: politics and science. This is creating a difficult test for scientists in Germany like virologist Christian Drosten, whose research and expertise influence government policies and have placed him in the limelight.

Austria is wary of supplying financial aid to EU member states with no strings attached. In a DER SPIEGEL interview, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz speaks of the new EU aid fund and what his country learned from the Ischgl debacle.

Not taking Trump at face value is naïve. And with the U.S. president now issuing constant warnings of voter fraud this fall, it is time to accept that he is laying the groundwork for his next attack on democracy.

Germany’s most famous virologist Christian Drosten has been the target of hatred and adoration. In an interview, he tells DER SPIEGEL how he is dealing with his newfound fame and what comes next in the fight against COVID-19.

Companies in Germany were practically begging 20- to 30-year-olds to come work for them. Then came the coronavirus, destroying health, lives and jobs. It will take decades for this generation to catch up economically.

The coronavirus pandemic is hitting Brazil harder than most other countries, in part because social inequality is so massive. Armies of maids commute between favela slums and middle-class neighborhoods. Taking a closer look at them tells a lot about the country.

For the last several months, a heated conflict has been escalating between the most powerful families in Syria. It has been trying Russia’s patience and could decide who will ultimately wield control.

A million seamstresses in Bangladesh had to stop work due to the corona closures of clothing stores in Europe and the U.S. Now, production is restarting, and the workers have been given a choice: Either go hungry or risk infection at work.

Belgian pandemic expert Peter Piot helped discover the Ebola virus, and is currently advising the EU on the COVID-19 pandemic. He is also a survivor of the disease, and found it much worse than he had expected.