Author: Spiegel.de

The new strains of the coronavirus are even more dangerous than those known so far. Researchers and politicians fear a sharp increase in the number of infections, with dramatic consequences like those seen in Britain. Can Germany still stop the new killers?

Star economist Nouriel Roubini believes that President-elect Joseph Biden’s first term will be overshadowed by civil unrest at home and cyberattacks from abroad. He believes social media platforms must be more strictly regulated.

The raid on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., has shown clearly just how dangerous online radicalization can be. By promoting hate and inciting violence, social media platforms represent a danger to democracy.

The raid on the Capitol in Washington, D.C., has shown clearly just how dangerous online radicalization can be. By promoting hate and inciting violence, social media platforms represent a danger to democracy.

Internet propaganda is becoming an industrialized commodity, warns Phil Howard, the director of the Oxford Internet Institute and author of many books on disinformation. In an interview, he calls for greater transparency and regulation of the industry.

Few other issues are as hotly debated as school closures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. New data from Austria now provides further evidence of the risk posed by children. The virus mutant B.1.1.7 could make the situation even worse.

Thousands of people every year leave Central America for the U.S. to escape poverty and a lack of prospects. But some young entrepreneurs are demonstrating that it is possible to find a future at home.

The fight against rhino poachers in South Africa is a lucrative business. Well-armed units patrol the parks and reserves – and have been accused of murdering innocent people.

They clean, walk dogs and take care of children, day in and day out, for years at a time. A photography project shows how women from the Philippines work in poor conditions in Europe so that their families back home can have better lives.

Those wanting to enter a store or board public transportation in Bavaria will be required to wear an FFP2 mask starting next week. Even though they offer better protection against the coronavirus, the masks are expensive, and not everyone can afford them. But relief could be coming soon.

Trump supporters sought to reverse the result of a democratic election on Wednesday at the behest of the president himself. DER SPIEGEL has reconstructed the events of a day that will live in infamy.

Gran Canaria’s tourism industry is doing all it can to survive the coronavirus. Some luxury hotels are even hosting the increasing numbers of migrants arriving from across the ocean. It is a clash of two worlds.

German relations with Russia have soured following the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the brazen assassination of a Chechen asylum-seeker in Berlin. At times, Moscow has been baffled by Germany’s stances.

German relations with Russia have soured following the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the brazen assassination of a Chechen asylum-seeker in Berlin. At times, Moscow has been baffled by Germany’s stances.

Wednesday’s failed insurrection in Washington is the logical finale of the Trump era. Responsibility for the debacle lies squarely on the shoulders of the Republican Party – and especially on their outgoing president.

No American president has been more incendiary than Donald Trump. He has been the subject in recent years of 28 DER SPIEGEL cover stories. Many featured the work of illustrator Edel Rodriguez. The covers were often criticized as being exaggerated. Here are the most important ones.

Brexit was a mistake. Scotland should leave the United Kingdom and remain a part of the European Union, argues Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Despite the start of vaccinations, British medical expert Jeremy Farrar doesn’t believe there will be a quick return to normality. Instead, a “new dangerous phase of the pandemic” is beginning.

In a DER SPIEGEL interview, BioNTech founders Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin discuss the development of the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine, what that success means to them and where they intend to go from here.

In 2012, Xi Jinping took office as the head of the Communist Party at the same time Bernhard Zand become DER SPIEGEL’s correspondent in Beijing. Before leaving the country, he traveled all across the nation to measure how the Chinese people are faring today.

Humanity is continuing to crank up the heat in our atmosphere – with catastrophic consequences. How warm will it get? What does it mean for Germany and the world? And what can we still do about it?

Humanity is continuing to crank up the heat in our atmosphere – with catastrophic consequences. How warm will it get? What does it mean for Germany and the world? And what can we still do about it?

Forests filter gigantic amounts of CO₂ from the air, store water, provide shade and stop desertification. Yet logging and clear-cutting continues. What can we do to save our trees?

Forests filter gigantic amounts of CO₂ from the air, store water, provide shade and stop desertification. Yet logging and clear-cutting continues. What can we do to save our trees?

Glaciers are shrinking, permafrost is thawing out and the Arctic could soon be completely free of ice: Do we still have time to save the ice on our planet? We take stock from the North Pole to the South Pole.

Our oceans provide more than just a home to a vast array of species – they also sequester unfathomable amounts of CO₂. But sea levels are also rising, posing a threat to coastal cities. What role do the oceans play in the growing climate crisis?

Germany managed the first coronavirus wave better than most. But this fall, the country hasn’t done nearly as well, with case numbers and deaths spiking upward. Did Angela Merkel drop the ball?

The EU and Berlin have insisted there will be sufficient vaccine available, but delays in signing purchasing contracts mean that the elixir will arrive late and there might not be enough. The EU even declined an option that would have allowed for the purchase of hundreds of millions of extra doses.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed promised democracy and a new beginning for his country — and received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his initial efforts. It has been all downhill from there, however, and he is increasingly turning to authoritarian methods.

Maria Van Kerkhove, 43, is the technical lead of the COVID-19 team at the World Health Organization in Geneva, making her perhaps the most important woman in the fight against the pandemic.

Maria Van Kerkhove, 43, is the technical lead of the COVID-19 team at the World Health Organization in Geneva, making her perhaps the most important woman in the fight against the pandemic.

Maria Van Kerkhove, 43, is the technical lead of the COVID-19 team at the World Health Organization in Geneva, making her perhaps the most important woman in the fight against the pandemic.

A large study from Austria shows that SARS-CoV-2 infects just as many schoolchildren as it does teachers. Other surveys indicate that while young children may show no symptoms, they are quite efficient at spreading the virus.

Germany has squandered the gains it made this spring in dealing with the coronavirus. A series of miscalculations by politicians in the fall has contributed to a sharp increase in COVID-19 infections in recent days. A second lockdown is coming.

United States President-Elect Joe Biden has long had strong ties to Germany and those are likely to continue once he is in the White House. But German and American interests diverge strongly on a number of foreign policy issues ranging from China to Russia.

Alexander Zverev, Germany’s best tennis player, has been accused of domestic violence by an ex-girlfriend and his clash with a former manager is now in court. Does this spell the end for a rising star?

While Austria and Switzerland want to keep their ski lifts in operation, Germany, France and Italy are worried about superspreader events in winter paradise. Billions of euros are at stake.

Following the assassination of Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, hardliners in Tehran are rattling their sabers. The hurdles standing in the way of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s goal of resuscitating the Iran nuclear deal just grew a lot higher.

Relations between Germany and the United States suffered under President Trump. In an interview, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas discusses his hopes for an improved atmosphere under incoming President Joe Biden, but also the challenges posed by China, the Middle East and the Russian pipeline project.

Children are bearing much of the burden of the corona crisis. They are afraid, listless, bored and helpless – and many are developing psychological scars. What can be done?

The province of Shabwa in Yemen has become home to a minor miracle. First, a hospital was built, and now a holiday resort is in the works. The local governor would like to see the province provide a model for the country’s future.

All eyes are on coronavirus vaccines at the moment. But efforts to find successful treatments against COVID-19 are rapidly moving along as well. Initial laboratory tests have been encouraging.

German prosecutors are currently collecting witness testimonies, documents and videos incriminating Syria in what are believed to be crimes against humanity. The evidence against the Assad regime compiled by groups that have filed a criminal complaint in Germany is overwhelming.

Africa has thus far avoided the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. Aminata Touré, the former prime minister of Senegal, explains in an interview why that is and what Europe must change in its approach to the continent.

Despite Donald Trump’s defeat, the United States still appears to be in a state of moral decay. A DER SPIEGEL correspondent reflects on his five years in America.

Russian troops have arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh to keep the peace, but thousands of Armenians are having to flee the region. They are leaving nothing to the arriving Azerbaijanis – and it is unclear when normalcy might return.

The first COVID-19 vaccines are nearing approval. Wealthy countries have already secured the rights to billions of doses, while others are at risk of growing even more dependent on China or Russia.

Literature Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich is currently in Berlin receiving medical treatment. In an interview with DER SPIEGEL, she spoke about the protests in her homeland of Belarus, the horrors of the Lukashenko regime and how the international community can help.

By vetoing the EU budget, Hungary and Poland have plunged the bloc into a crisis and heaped pressure on Angela Merkel to find a solution. Brussels, though, might have a way to turn the tables.

How is it possible that 2,750 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate was stored in the heart of Beirut for several years? DER SPIEGEL recounts the missteps, corruption and incompetence that led to the August blast.