Eric Westervelt

Germans Confront The Costs Of A Nuclear-Free Future

Eric Westervelt — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:49:00 +0000

After Japan's Fukushima disaster last year, Germany announced a groundbreaking energy plan: It would phase out all of its domestic nuclear power in a decade and make a transition to safer, carbon neutral energy.

The goal is to have solar, wind and other renewables account for nearly 40 percent of the energy for Europe's largest economy in a decade, and 80 percent by 2050.

But already the revolutionary plan and its ambitious timeline are in doubt.

Poland Watches Warily As Euro Crisis Spreads

Eric Westervelt — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 07:29:00 +0000

One factor that has kept Poland somewhat insulated from the eurozone crisis is domestic consumer spending. Poland had more than 4 percent growth last year while the rest of the continent was mired in negative or flat growth. Poles have more discretionary income than ever before, and they're using it to buy things in swank malls cropping up all over the country.

"Consumer spending has risen significantly in recent years," says Miroslaw Borjarczyk, as he shops at Warsaw's Golden Terraces mall.

Spain's Crisis Pushes Educated Into 'Economic Exile'

Eric Westervelt — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 09:58:00 +0000

In Spain, the growing crisis — debt, austerity and joblessness — has prompted more people to vote with their feet. In the first six months of 2012, emigration from Spain is up more than 44 percent from the same period last year.

The Spanish government denies it, but the "brain drain" has become something of a flood with more and more educated, skilled Spaniards moving abroad.

Neurobiologist Elisa Cuevas Garcia from Madrid sips an iced espresso on a hot afternoon at an outdoor cafe in Berlin.

Jo Nesbo's Fiction Explores Oslo's Jagged Edges

Eric Westervelt — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:14:00 +0000

The sun descends reluctantly over Norway's waterside capital, but novelist Jo Nesbo is determined to show Oslo's dark side, to convince me the real city, in parts, is as dirty, twisted and seedy as his own fictional version.

It's a tough sell in this city of bike helmets, clean streets and smiling blond people.

The author has written nine successful novels about the reckless Oslo police detective Harry Hole, a nonconformist with a mercurial mind.

Hole's most meaningful relationship is with bourbon, by the bottle.

The Next Silicon Valley? Berlin Startups Catching Up With The Hype

Eric Westervelt — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:20:00 +0000

California's Silicon Valley remains by far the dominant arena for high-tech startups and venture capitalists looking to back innovative projects.

But Europe is starting to make its mark on the startup scene. London, Paris and Berlin are starting to hold their own as more and more European startups look to compete on the global stage and attract investors.

A 'Crazy Green Field' For Creative Types

Sometimes it seems like the entrepreneurial spirit of young Berliners is confined to slacker hipsters selling used clothes to each other.

Germany, Greece Face Off On Soccer Field

Eric Westervelt — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 11:20:00 +0000

The eurozone will take a short break from its financial crisis to enjoy a sporting event. The soccer teams of Germany and Greece meet Friday in the quarter finals of the Euro 2012 championship in Gdansk, Poland. Germany's coach doesn't think political tensions will have an impact on the field.

Germany Resists Concessions To Greek Bailout Terms

Eric Westervelt — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:28:00 +0000

The party that won Greece's parliamentary elections on Sunday has accepted the tough conditions international lenders imposed to bail out the ailing nation. But there's been talk that the party wants to seek some concessions on the terms of the rescue package.

At the G-20 summit in Los Cabos, Mexico, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated her tough line that bailout terms for Greece are not negotiable.

A Party On The Rise, Germany's Pirates Come Ashore

Eric Westervelt — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 06:55:00 +0000

They don't have a plan to save the euro or draw down the war in Afghanistan, nor do they have clear policies on an array of issues, but the German Pirate Party is winning converts and elections with its vision of digital democracy through "liquid feedback."

Despite public relations mishaps and a haphazard organizational structure, the Pirate Party is shaking up the stolid, bureaucratic world of German politics and jolting rival parties with its rising popularity.

On Tuesday night in Neukolln, a disheveled yet trendy Berlin district, the Kinski Bar buzzes like it's the weekend.

Stumbling Upon Miniature Memorials To Nazi Victims

Eric Westervelt — Thu, 31 May 2012 06:51:00 +0000

Brick by brick, Guenther Demnig is working to change how the Holocaust is publicly remembered in Germany.

On a recent afternoon, the 62-year-old Berlin-born artist is on his knees on a sidewalk in a prosperous section of Berlin's Charlottenburg district, working a hammer and small trowel.

For New French President, Germany Is First Stop

Eric Westervelt — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:43:00 +0000

As soon as new French President Francois Hollande was sworn in on Tuesday, he observed a postwar custom and reached out to Germany, in a move intended to underscore European solidarity and the importance of the alliance.

But it wasn't a relaxing social visit. Hollande's plane was struck by lightning en route to Berlin and had to return to Paris as a precaution. He then took another plane.

And Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have different views on how to extricate Europe from its worst postwar financial crisis.

Europe's Austerity Plans Face Growing Backlash

Eric Westervelt — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:15:00 +0000

A political crisis in Greece and economic woes in Spain are again raising concern about the future of the eurozone.

In Athens today, Greek politicians tried again and failed to form a coalition government, though talks are ongoing. There is growing fear that Greece will not be able to remain in the currency union and avoid defaulting on its debts.

In Spain, the health of the banking sector is in doubt as street opposition to painful budget cuts continues there and in other parts of Europe.

Confessed Killer Of 77 Goes On Trial In Norway

Eric Westervelt — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Now, the man who has confessed to carrying out Norway's worst peacetime atrocity goes on trial today. Anders Behring Breivik, a right-wing extremist, raised his fist in a Nazi-style salute after bailiffs removed his handcuffs in the courtroom. Breivik has told authorities he acted to protect Norway from Muslims. The rampage in Oslo and at a youth camp left 77 people dead and dozens injured.

Norway 'Still Shattered' As Extremist Goes On Trial

Eric Westervelt — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:02:00 +0000

Norwegians will be confronted again this week with the terrible details and trauma of the worst peacetime attack in the country's history.

Police say last July 22, Anders Behring Breivik set off a car bomb in the center of Oslo near government offices. The blast killed eight people and spun residents and police into a state of chaotic alarm and confusion.

The bombing was a deadly diversion that allowed the right-wing extremist to then make his way to the small bucolic Island of Utoya.

Homelessness Becomes A Crime In Hungary

Eric Westervelt — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:20:00 +0000

Hungary's new anti-vagrancy laws — the toughest in Europe — now mean that homeless people sleeping on the street can face police fines or even the possibility of jail time.

Advocacy and human-rights groups are alarmed by the new efforts to crack down on and effectively criminalize homelessness, where the ranks of the needy have increased during the country's dire financial crisis.

Debt, joblessness and poverty are on the rise.

The Secret To Germany's Low Youth Unemployment

Eric Westervelt — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:06:00 +0000

For as long as he can remember, German teenager Robin Dittmar has been obsessed with airplanes. As a little boy, the sound of a plane overhead would send him into the backyard to peer into the sky. Toys had to have wings. Even today, Dittmar sees his car as a kind of ersatz Boeing.

"I've got the number 747 as the number plate of my car. I'm really in love with this airplane," the 18-year-old says.

Euro Countries Vote To Save Greece From Default

Eric Westervelt — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000
Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE: 25" FirstFeed="N">Euro Countries Vote To Save Greece From DefaultIt's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. ]]>And I'm Steve Inskeep.

Wary Of Another Greek Bailout, EU Procrastinates

Eric Westervelt — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000
Transcript
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
The Greek economy continues to suffer. It's been another painful week for that country starting Sunday when thousands of people demonstrated outside of parliament, and rioters torched buildings in Athens. Greek lawmakers passed harsh new austerity measures despite those protests, and still, Greece's European partners refused to approve the new bailout that the Greeks need to avoid default.

Europe Wants Assurances For Latest Greek Bailout

Eric Westervelt — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:55:00 +0000
The European Union says Greece has made some progress, but not enough, to merit the new bailout it desperately needs to avoid default and keep the euro as its currency.
Greeks are increasingly bitter about the austerity measures the EU is imposing on them.

EU Reacts To Hungary's Media Crackdown

Eric Westervelt — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000
Klubradio is one of Hungary's only remaining independent broadcasters, but it may soon go silent. The station's struggles are emblematic of the Hungarian government's crackdown on civil liberties. The European Union is so worried that last week it issued a warning to Hungary: Revise your new constitution to comply with EU laws or leave the EU.

In Hungary, Fears Government 'Limiting Democracy'

Eric Westervelt — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000
Veteran Hungarian broadcaster Gyorgy Bolgar, who hosts a popular daily news-talk call in show on Klubradio, gets a daily earful from ordinary Hungarians upset with Prime Minister Victor Orban.
Many here fear Orban, a dissident during the communist era, and his conservative Fidesz party are pushing the country backward.
They are "limiting the media, limiting the judiciary, limiting the scope of the constitutional court," says Bolgar, whose left-leaning station has more than 200,000 listeners. "It's limiting democracy.

A Church, An Oratorio And An Enduring Tradition

Eric Westervelt — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:26:00 +0000
Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio was first performed in Leipzig on Christmas Day in 1734. In Germany, no matter what the economic and political times, it's the Christmas work. In the oldest functioning church in Berlin, the 13th-century Saint Mary's, performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio is a fixed tradition.
St. Marienkirche, built around 1290, suffered damage — like most everything in this city — from allied air raids during World War II. But it survived.

Europe Gets Austerity, But With Few Signs of Growth

Eric Westervelt — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:55:00 +0000
The plan European leaders agreed on last week to save the euro doesn't seem to have reassured the markets.
Two rating agencies said the plan worked out in Brussels, which calls for greater fiscal integration, failed to address the immediate crisis of rising debts and the crushing costs of borrowing.
And some economists worry that the EU leaders are wrong to put so much emphasis on austerity without any real plans to stimulate economic growth.
For example, Portugal's growth rate last year was anemic and the economies of Greece and Ireland shrank.
But the more urgent problem for these th

Can Angela Merkel Save Europe?

Eric Westervelt — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:25:00 +0000
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's approach to the debt crisis currently roiling Europe has been calm, logical, methodical and — according to detractors, especially outside Germany, too slow and unimaginative.
Critics are seething that she insists on austerity as the main medicine for debt-ridden southern neighbors while she offers no new ideas for growth and fiercely resists efforts to let the European Central Bank intervene more.
The intensity of opinions about the German leader underscores the fact that she is now one of the most powerful figures on the world stage.

Eurozone's Rescue Plan Needs A Quick Fix

Eric Westervelt — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000
Transcript
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. European leaders meet in Brussels next week with an urgent mission: agree on a plan that to keep debt-ridden countries like Greece and Spain from default and save the euro. A plan is emerging now in broad outline - this and coordinated action by central banks around the world - boosted investor confidence. NPR's Eric Westervelt reports.
ERIC WESTERVELT, BYLINE: Midweek, the market surged on news the world's leading central banks would make it cheaper for banks to get U.S. dollars when they need them.

Merkel, Sarkozy Push For Fiscal Change In Eurozone

Eric Westervelt — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:00:00 +0000
Time is running out for European leaders to find a way out of their debt crisis and salvage the euro as the single currency for 17 nations. As they prepare for a European Union summit next week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have presented their plans to their respective countries.

Germany's Identity Cemented In The Euro

Eric Westervelt — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:00:00 +0000
When the euro was rolled out nearly a decade ago, it was touted as a unifying force across European cultures. Uwe Boek, a 48-year-old Berliner, has seen and embraced these changes: "It's us being Europeans in the European Union. Because the euro is money but the European Union is about identity."

Discovery Of Neo-Nazi Crime Spree Roils Germany

Eric Westervelt — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:09:00 +0000
Germany is reeling from revelations this week that a small neo-Nazi group carried out a deadly, decade-long crime wave. Authorities blame the underground cell for the murders of nine immigrants and a policewoman, a string of bank robberies and a bombing. Two suspects are dead and two others are in custody.
The identity of the suspects came as a shock to many in a country that has worked hard to overcome the stain of Nazism.

In Frankfurt, Former Trader Prepared For The Wurst

Eric Westervelt — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:12:00 +0000
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that Europe could be living through its toughest hour since World War II.
Merkel was referring to the debt crisis that has resulted in bailouts for countries, toppled governments and is now threatening the survival of Europe's single currency.
These are nervous times in places like Germany's financial capital, Frankfurt.

Is There Time To Solve The Eurozone Debt Crisis?

Eric Westervelt — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0000
With technocratic governments being formed in Italy and Greece, the euro may get a short-term bounce from the markets. But there is concern the changes afoot may not happen fast enough to end the eurozone debt mess.

Pressure's On Europe To Implement New Debt Plan

Eric Westervelt — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000
European leaders met through the night in Brussels and finally emerged Thursday with a debt deal they say is wide-ranging. They're hopeful it will guide the continent out of the widening debt crisis that started with Greece.