If Yanis Varoufakis, the former Greek finance minister, was going to make a comeback, it had to be in the German capital.
Economy
Why Estonia’s Not Worried, Despite Its Neighbor to the East
Estonian President Ilves doesn’t like to dwell on the supposed Russian threat to his country after Putin’s annexation of Crimea. His thing is technology.
On Eastern Ukraine’s Front Lines, Strategic, Besieged Mariupol Faces Economic Destruction
To the region’s workers and miners, who have seen living standards drop, Russia looks familiar and welcoming, while the EU is foreign and threatening.
Bobos in Berlin
I paid for my first apartment with beer money, and my second pad didn’t cost more than $100. Since then the neighborhoods have been filled with the organic food shops and yoga studios that are the stamp of hipsterdom.
From Death Strip to Tech Campus
Although Berlin still lags behind other European tech hubs like London in terms of available capital or qualified developers, the German capital’s scruffy, anything-goes attitude is attracting talent.
Up in the Air
Berlin’s new airport, which was supposed to be the city’s gateway to the world, has turned into a symbol of its provincialism.
Party Like It’s 2012
The ritual extravaganza to celebrate Germany’s fourth estate would have been a great night out — were the country’s media not facing their biggest crisis since World War II.
Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down
Russian nationalists’ embrace of Nazi ideology might seem especially masochistic given Hitler’s plans to enslave and butcher his eastern neighbors. But on the whole, Russians and Germans have gotten along just fine over the past 1,000 years.
Putin’s China Visit Helps Russia Become Global Energy Supplier
Russia agreed to supply China with oil for 20 years in return for a $25 billion credit. The total value of oil deals signed with Chinese companies this year is about $100 billion.
Putin Uses Railway to Expand Russian Influence in North Korea
Russian Railways, the state-run monopoly led by Putin confidant Vladimir Yakunin, is planning to complete a rail line crossing the North Korean-Russian border.
