| SPIEGEL ONLINE | INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER |
| Compiled on February 22, 2013, 06:30 PM CET |
| OUR RIGHT TO POISON Lessons from the Failed War on Drugs The global war on drugs has cost billions and taken countless lives -- but achieved little. The scant results finally have politicians and experts joining calls for legalization. Following the journey of cocaine from a farm in Colombia to a user in Berlin sheds light on why. |
| WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS NATO Struggles over NATO has long said it wouldn't abandon Afghanistan following the conclusion of combat operations at the end of 2014. But the alliance is having trouble agreeing on just what that means. Now, planning for the future training mission has run into trouble. |
| BAIL-IN Cyprus Bailout Could Hit Russian Bank Accounts Foreign investors and wealthy Cypriots may be called to participate in the bailout of debt-plagued Cyprus. Two reports suggest that EU countries sponsoring the bailout are considering a debt relief option that would also hit rich Russian bank account holders. |
| FROM BRASH TO BAWDY Berlusconi's Most Revealing Gaffes Europe is watching as Italians head to the polls this weekend to choose their next leader. All eyes will be on Silvio Berlusconi, a man who nearly drove his country to ruin and now has the prospect of getting re-elected. SPIEGEL ONLINE has collected some of the billionaire politician's most colorful quotes. |
| 'A TIMELESS CANON OF VALUES' German President Makes Plea for More Europe German President Joachim Gauck made a passionate plea on Friday for greater European integration in the most important speech of his term in office thus far. He called on Britain to remain in the EU and said that Germany does not want to impose its will on the rest of its EU partners. |
| MELTING PERMAFROST Scientists Warn of Dangers of Trapped Carbon Research published Thursday in the journal Science says that even slightly warmer temperatures could start melting permafrost, which in turn threatens to trigger the release of huge amounts of greenhouse gases trapped in ice. |
| CRASH COURSE IN DEMAGOGUERY New Book Traces Education of Adolf Hilter Historian Othmar Plöckinger argues that Adolf Hilter's time in the military facilitated his transformation into a murderous dictator. His new book traces how in the army Hilter acquired skills and an education that he would put to use during his later rise to power. |
| TURNING UP THE HEAT Banks Could Face Massive Fines over LIBOR Scandal The European Commission plans to turn up the heat on banks allegedly involved in rigging the benchmark LIBOR lending rate. Not only has the body widened the scope of the investigations to include the Swiss franc, it has also threatened heavy fines on uncooperative banks. |
| WORLD FROM BERLIN German Bishops Accept Morning-After Pill In a significant reversal just one month after two Catholic hospitals refused to treat a victim of sexual assault, Germany's bishops on Thursday approved the use of the "morning-after pill" in rape cases. German commentators say the step doesn't go far enough. |
| PICTURE THIS Hooligan Hello |
