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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson Special correspondent Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is based in Berlin. Her reports can be heard on NPR's award-winning programs, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and read at NPR.org.
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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is a NPR foreign correspondent based in Cairo.

Tuesday

Europe

Netherlands Welcomes First New King In Over A Century

The Netherlands has a new king today — Willem-Alexander. He follows his mother Beatrix who abdicated on Tuesday and is the first male monarch in the country in more than a century.

Netherlands Welcomes First New King In Over A Century

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Monday

Germany Braces For Terrorism Trial

Police in Munich, Germany, stand watch last week as activists protest against right-wing violence. A trial is set to begin next month for men charged in the killings of nine immigrants and a German policewoman. Johannes Simon/Getty Images hide caption

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Johannes Simon/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Germany Braces For Terrorism Trial

For years, authorities failed to see links in the killings of nine immigrants and a German policewoman. Now, a trial that will focus on right-wing extremists is about to begin.

Monday

'I Liked It,' Putin Says Of Protest By Topless Women

Russian President Vladimir Putin (far left) looks on Monday in Hanover, Germany, as one of three women who stripped off their tops protests his appearance at a trade fair. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in the green jacket. Jochen Luebke/EPA /LANDOV hide caption

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Jochen Luebke/EPA /LANDOV

The Two-Way

'I Liked It,' Putin Says Of Protest By Topless Women

In Hanover, Germany, the Russian leader was greeted by three women protesters who stripped off their tops before shouting expletives at him. While he professed to enjoy their demonstration, Putin's aides want the women punished.

From the NPR Newscast: Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson on the protest in Hanover

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Friday

Jewishness On Display: 'Truth' By Way Of Discomfort

Bill Glucroft, an American Jew living in Berlin, chats with visitors from his box in the most controversial portion of the Berlin Jewish Museum's exhibition "The Whole Truth." Sean Gallup/Getty Images hide caption

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Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Culture

Jewishness On Display: 'Truth' By Way Of Discomfort

A new exhibit in Berlin's Jewish Museum is intentionally provocative. The point, one curator says, is to "get people talking about how they perceive Jews, particularly in Germany today." At the center of the controversy is a display in which a Jewish person sits inside a glass showcase and answers questions from visitors.

Jewishness On Display: 'Truth' By Way Of Discomfort

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Monday

German Prince Plans To Put Bison Back In The Wild

European bison, or wisents, keep a safe distance from human visitors to their enclosure on the property of Prince Richard of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg in Germany's densely populated state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson/NPR hide caption

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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson/NPR

Europe

German Prince Plans To Put Bison Back In The Wild

The prince's dream of reintroducing European bison, or wisent, into Germany's most densely populated state will soon be reality. It will be the first time in nearly 300 years that these creatures will roam Western Europe. But not everyone is as excited as the prince.

German Prince Plans To Put Bison Back In The Wild

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Saturday

Europe

German Anti-Euro Group Has Big-Name Backers

In Germany, a new political party has cropped up with one sole aim: doing away with the euro. Unlike past anti-euro parties in Europe, this one is no fringe group. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson reports they are banking on German frustration over bailouts of eurozone countries to propel them into office in national elections this fall.

German Anti-Euro Group Has Big-Name Backers

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Wednesday

Long After Its Fall, Berlin Wall Is Focus Of New Protests

American actor David Hasselhoff speaks to protesters next to a remnant of the Berlin Wall last week. Thousands of people turned out to oppose a plan to knock down one of the few remaining sections of the wall. A small part was removed Wednesday. Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

Europe

Long After Its Fall, Berlin Wall Is Focus Of New Protests

A developer wants to knock down a remnant of the Berlin Wall to make way for luxury apartments. Some Berlin protesters — and actor David Hasselhoff — have been trying to stop it.

Long After Its Fall, Berlin Wall Is Focus Of New Protests

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Monday

Europe

European Parliaments Next To Approve Cyprus Deal

Finance ministers from European countries that use the euro approved a last-minute bailout for Cyprus to keep its banking system from collapsing. The $13 billion deal came after tense negotiations during which the Cypriot president threatened to resign.

European Parliaments Next To Approve Cyprus Deal

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Tuesday

What's Worked, And What Hasn't, In Gun-Loving Switzerland

Gun enthusiasts take part in a shooting competition at a club outside Zurich. The gun culture is deeply entrenched in Switzerland, where citizens as young as 10 learn to shoot. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson/NPR hide caption

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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson/NPR

Guns In America: A Loaded Relationship

What's Worked, And What Hasn't, In Gun-Loving Switzerland

Like Americans, the Swiss have an entrenched gun culture — it's not uncommon to see regular citizens out in the public with a gun slung across their back — and most are vehemently opposed to gun control. Yet Switzerland has a far lower rate of gun violence than in the U.S.

What's Worked, And What Hasn't, In Gun-Loving Switzerland

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Wednesday

Germans Are Drinking Less Beer These Days, But Why?

A waiter carries beer mugs during the 2012 Oktoberfest in Munich. Johannes Simon/Getty Images hide caption

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Johannes Simon/Getty Images

The Salt

Germans Are Drinking Less Beer These Days, But Why?

Despite Germany's long association with beer, it looks like its citizens are imbibing less of their celebrated beverage now than they did a generation ago. Some cite the economy as a factor; others, the rise of health consciousness.

Germans Are Drinking Less Beer These Days, But Why?

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Monday

Europe

Germany Evaluates Its Global Military Role

For decades after the devastation of World War Two, Germany recoiled from any prospect of military engagement. Now the country is under pressure to get involved in foreign military conflicts as the U.S. cuts back its role as the world's policeman. Germany's growing military role is now being debated in government and academic circles.

Germany Evaluates Its Global Military Role

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Thursday

Europe

Dresden Marks WWII Bombing 68 Years Ago

Toward the end of World War II, allied forces bombed the lightly defended city of Dresden, creating a firestorm that destroyed it and killed tens of thousands of people. The attack was designed to destroy German morale and hasten the end of the war. These days, neo-Nazis are using the anniversary to march and stir up nationalistic sentiment in a bid to boost their political and popular clout.

Dresden Marks WWII Bombing 68 Years Ago

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Sunday

Europe

Troop Deployment No Long Sparks Mass Protests In Germany

After two devastating world wars, Germans recoiled from any prospect of military intervention. But today, German troops are posted in Afghanistan and engage in combat. This week, German lawmakers are expected to extend their country's military's mission in Afghanistan for 13 more months.

Troop Deployment No Long Sparks Mass Protests In Germany

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Friday

Africa

Benghazi Threat Not Made Public

Amid conflict in West Africa, come threats to Westerners in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. British, German and Dutch citizens have been urged to leave Benghazi. It's been the focus of partisan controversy in the U.S. as Congress tries to determine what caused the September attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission there that killed four Americans, including the ambassador to Libya.

Benghazi Threat Not Made Public

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Saturday

Germany's Housing Market Is Hot. Is It Overheating?

Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood, like many others across the city, is experiencing a real estate boom. Housing prices have risen by as much as 20 percent in the past year in some German cities. Adam Berry/Getty Images hide caption

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Adam Berry/Getty Images

World

Germany's Housing Market Is Hot. Is It Overheating?

Buyers are snapping up property in Germany, leaving some analysts worried that it's a bubble in the making. But others say the conservative approach to home ownership, including a tradition of large down payments, will protect the market from a U.S.-style crash.

Germany's Housing Market Is Hot. Is It Overheating?

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