Topping-Off Ceremony for New U.S. Embassy Building in Berlin
The new building is taking shape on Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the center of the historic capital city.

Putin Visits Dresden and Munich, Talks Trade With Merkel and Stoiber
Talks between the Russian president and the German chancellor focused on energy security issues, trade and the North Korean nuclear crisis.

German and American Experts Tackle Legal Questions in the Fight Against Terrorism
A conference will expand the existing bilateral political dialogue on the legal framework for combating terrorism to include a deeper scientific dimension.

"Der Brückenbauer": Turkish Novelist Orhan Pamuk Receives Nobel Prize in Literature
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier praised the writer: "In his works Pamuk connects the culture of the European novel with the mystical-oriental tradition of storytelling."

Double Negative: Court Case in Stuttgart Tests Whether it is Permissible to Display a Crossed-Out Swastika
A court ruled that a business distributing materials with anti-Nazi slogans including crossed-out swastikas breaks a law banning the Nazi symbol.

German Government Seeks to Secure Affordable and Environmental Energy
An energy summit held in Berlin focused on energy efficiency, clean energy and opening up the German energy market to more competitive and affordable pricing.

The Permanent Wave: A German Invention Turns 100
On October 8, 1906, the German hairdresser Karl Nessler unveiled a technology that changed the shape of hair, literally, for a century to come.

Hannah Arendt’s Political Theories Resonate 100 Years after her Birth
Conferences to be held in Berlin, Munich, New York, Melbourne, and Paris until the end of this year examine whether her theories on totalitarianism can help illuminate today's crises.

Take Heed, Ye Superstitious Ones:
Unluckiest Friday Since 1520?
A German physicist has warned that Friday, October 13 - the day this issue of TWIG "goes to press" - could be the unluckiest such date in nearly five centuries.