Muslim fundamentalism on the rise

In a week when the world has been remembering 9/11, authorities in Germany are still tackling their own, growing, kind of Muslim fundamentalism. More than 1,000 people are thought by authorities to be potential terrorists. One was arrested last week with an accomplice amid suspicions they were creating a bomb. Followers of Salafism, which calls for a return to the origins of Islam, are being monitored particularly closely.

FOCUS

By Anne MAILLIET

01/04/2013 - GERMANY

Berlin Wall remnants to make way for luxury apartments

In recent weeks The East Side Gallery in Berlin has become a battleground. This 1.3 km strip of the Berlin Wall, decorated by artists after German reunification, is being partially removed to allow developers to build hotels and luxury flats. Berliners are up in arms and have hit the streets for the past four weeks to protest against the project. But on Wednesday the bulldozers appeared at dawn to remove the segments.

29/03/2013 - KOREAN PENINSULA

North Korea's latest threats: credible or empty?

Ever since North Korea's third nuclear test and the subsequent UN sanctions imposed on Pyongyang last month, its leader Kim Jong-un has stepped up the bellicose rhetoric. He has now issued dire warnings to both South Korea and the United States, going further than his father ever did. But are these threats to be taken seriously?

29/03/2013 - SPAIN

Seville squatters seek government support

In Spain, the "corrala" phenomenon is fast becoming a way of life, and is a direct consequence of the bursting of Spain's property bubble. Dozens of indebted and evicted families have decided to squat in empty buildings repossessed by banks and pension funds that the institutions have been unable to sell on. These squatters are demanding housing as a basic human right.

28/03/2013 - IVORY COAST

Attacks on rural villages spark fears of increasing violence

Two successive attacks within little over a week in western Ivory Coast have fanned fears of renewed tensions between government troops and militia leaders loyal to ousted former President Laurent Gbagbo. Thousands living in Blolequin, the largest town nearest the violence, have decided to flee. Two rural villages were burned in the fighting. Many farmers have lost much of their crops and now live in fear of further attacks.

28/03/2013 - LATVIA

Latvians flee country's financial crisis in search of work

Latvia was hard hit by the 2008 financial crisis. Over 10 percent of the population has left in the past decade alone in a bid to escape poverty, unemployment and budget cuts. Some 400 villages in the country are now actually in danger of being wiped off the map. Latvia has since returned to growth and reduced its deficit, but many still aren't seeing the benefits. Those Latvians who fled abroad are not rushing to come back.

(1) comment