Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: What's in an excuse? The parties at the Munich Security Conference, which ended on Sunday, seemed determined to display a full range of justifications, rationalizations, evasions and apologies, DW's Andreas Noll says. For more than ۴۰ years, the Munich Security Conference has been an event dedicated to a particular kind of clarity; It specialized in being that place where politicians could make direct statements. This year, however, conference organizers wanted something more: results. The slogan at this year's meeting was: 'no more excuses.' But slogans are one thing, and reality is quite another. As early as the opening day, the world was treated to a heap of excuses put forth by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. Excuses as to why Iran cannot halt its uranium enrichment, although the United Nations Security Council has been demanding they do so for ages. Excuses instead of answers to questions about human rights in the country, or to accusations of election rigging. And they were all delivered in a bizarre, provocative and self-satisfied tone. Afghanistan: Who is left holding the bag? But Iran wasn't the sole master of irresponsible rhetoric in Munich. Western democracies had their own list of excuses: Why has the economically powerful European Union not yet assumed the international responsibility that its partners have been demanding for years? Why is a world without atomic weapons, while desired, still an impossibility? Excuses, excuses, excuses. The German government is also at fault here. It clearly knows that Afghanistan...
صدای آلمان Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Bergstrom says browsing on phones can be more dangerous Tuesday marks Safer Internet Day, created to encourage safer and more responsible use of online technology. A spokesman for the EU's cyber security body told Deutsche Welle how you can best protect yourself online. The advent of social networking Web sites like Twitter and Facebook has made private data online much more easily accessible. Tuesday's "Safer Internet Day" aims to make Internet users more aware of their online presence and the dangers it could pose. The European Union's cyber security body, the European Network and Information Security Alliance, or ENISA, is one of multiple organizations that supports Safer Internet Day. ENISA spokesman Ulf Bergstrom talked to Deutsche Welle about the advantages – and dangers – of social networking Web sites and what users can do to protect themselves on the Internet. DW: What do people need to look out for when using social networks? Ulf Bergstrom: They should be careful about what they post online, because you never know who actually will use this information. Of course you should have fun and take use of social networks, and especially when you're doing mobile social networking. But you also need to be smart and clever, and don't post anything you can't live with all of your life. And that's of course not very easy for teenagers to think about. But really, this is about what their future potential employer may look at in ten...
صدای آلمان Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The project also includes a school for theater and music Berlin director Christoph Schlingensief has begun what may be his most ambitious project yet: building an opera house in the heart of the African savannah. Christoph Schlingensief, the German director best known for his edgy stage revival of Wagner's opera Parsifal, is no stranger to outlandish ideas. But the ۴۹-year-old may have just embarked on his most unusual quest yet: building an opera house in one of the poorest countries in the world. On Monday, Schlingensief laid the keystone for an opera house in Burkina Faso, the landlocked African country where ۹۰ percent of residents are dependent on subsistence farming. "The people in Burkino Faso are extremely warm-hearted and welcoming," Schlingensief told the German radio station Deutschlandradio Kultur. "The children are very intelligent and musical. And although the country is very poor, it has a certain inner peace." More than opera The opera house, designed by Burkinabe architect Francis Kere, is to be erected in a village on the outskirts of the capital Ouagadougou. The village will also include a school for theater and music, performance spaces and a clinic. Schlingensief, who is suffering from lung cancer, said his illness inspired his interest in the ambitious project. "Africa is a place that has always meant a great deal to me, and that has given a great deal to me," he said. "I have the feeling that I...
صدای آلمان Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has consistently defied the interntional community As EU members unify their stance, the US is lining up members of the international community to punish Iran for its nuclear program. With France as chief of the UN Security Council, a showdown could come soon. Since ۲۰۰۴, the European Union has publicly claimed the united position that the row over Iran's nuclear program should be resolved diplomatically, but has reserved the right to back United Nations Security Council sanctions if Iran does not comply to international demands. Yet, consistently since that time, individual nations have indicated a willingness to establish independent relationships with Iran, both political and economic, which seemingly ignore Brussels' position. Europe claims to be united, but a closer examination shows that this unity is an illusion. For instance, Germany has developed deep business ties with Iran, with more than ۵۰ German companies basing their offices there. Trade volume between the two has increased steadily over the last decade despite UN sanctions, with Germany having the largest share of Iran's export market. Italy also has developed a strong relationship, both polticial and economic, with Iran. Last year Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini met with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki in Tehran to discuss a host of matters from the Italian, not EU, perspective. Italian companies also have frequently done business with Tehran, selling them goods and services that could have both military and civilian uses. These relationships have...
