Lornion

Clearstream ruling bolsters Villepin's chances of a political comeback Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Dominique de Villepin has always denied the charges against him France's ex-prime minister Dominique de Villepin has been cleared of being part of a conspiracy to smear Nicolas Sarkozy and sabotage his campaign to become president in 2007. Former French president Dominique de Villepin was cleared on Thursday of charges that he had tried to smear Nicoloas Sarkozy. In the ruling read out to a Paris court, the presiding judge said there was "no clear evidence." Villepin smiled and shook hands with supporters as he walked out of the Paris courtroom. "My innocence has been recognized," Villepin told reporters outside. "I don't bear any grudges or rancour. I want to turn the page ... I want to look to the future, to serve the French people and continue in a spirit of unity," Villepin said. Slap in the face for ...

Παγκόσμιο Οικονομικό Φόρουμ Το δίλημμα «περισσότερες μεταρρυθμίσεις ή λιγότερο κράτος» διχάζει το Νταβός Reuters Αυστηρότερο κανονιστικό πλαίσιο για τις τράπεζες ζήτητε ο Γάλλος πρόεδρος, Νικολά Σαρκοζί, στην εναρκτήρια ομιλία του Νταβός Η διαφωνία των απαισιόδοξων οικονομολόγων με τους αισιόδοξους τραπεζίτες έδωσε τον τόνο την πρώτη ημέρα του Φόρουμ στο Νταβός την Τετάρτη, με τους μεν να τάσσονται υπέρ μεταρρυθμίσεων στη λειτουργία των χρηματοπιστωτικών οργανισμών και τους δε να υποστηρίζουν ότι ο δρόμος θα οδηγεί τις τράπεζες και την ανάκαμψη σε «ασφυξία». Λίγες ώρες πριν την ομιλία του Αμερικανού προέδρου, ο οποίος αναμένεται να ζητήσει ακόμη περισσότερες μεταρρυθμίσεις, διευθυντικά στελέχη από τραπεζικούς γίγαντες επαναλάμβαναν στο Φόρουμ ότι επιπλέον ρυθμίσεις θα οδηγήσουν σε καταστροφική «κανονιστική ασφυξία». Οι συζητήσεις αντανακλούν την γενικότερη ανησυχία για την παγκόσμια οικονομία και την προτιμότερη στάση απέναντι σε μία άνιση ανάπτυξη που ωθείται από την Κίνα και περιορίζ...

Την «οικουμενικότητα» του Πατριαρχείου αποδέχεται το Συμβούλιο της Ευρώπης ΑΠΕ Ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης Βαρθολομαίος Παρίσι Η Κοινοβουλευτική Συνέλευση του Συμβουλίου της Ευρώπης αποδέχθηκε τον «οικουμενικό» χαρακτήρα του Πατριαρχείου στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, με την έγκριση, το απόγευμα της Τετάρτης, ψηφίσματος της Επιτροπής των Νομικών Υποθέσεων και Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων. Με το ίδιο ψήφισμα οι βουλευτές χαρακτηρίζουν ως «αναχρονιστική» την έννοια της «αμοιβαιότητας» που συνιστάται με το άρθρο 45 της Συνθήκης της Λωζάνης (1923), για την αντιμετώπιση των μειονοτήτων και ζητούν την εγκατάλειψή της. Το ψήφισμα έχει τίτλο «Θρησκευτική ελευθερία και ανθρώπινα δικαιώματα των μη μουσουλμανικών μειονοτήτων στην Τουρκία και την μουσουλμανική μειονότητα στην Θράκη» και εγκρίθηκε με σημαντική πλειοψηφία 102 ψήφους υπέρ, 18 κατά και 4 αποχές. Τη σχετική έκθεση εισηγήθηκε ο Γάλλος βουλευτής Μισέλ Υνό (Michel Hunault), από την ομάδα των Ευρωπαίων Δημοκρατών. Κατά την ψηφοφορία εγκρίθηκαν έξι από τις...

History | 16.11.2009 The introduction of the euro - January 1, 2002 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The starter kit: for 20 DM, Germans received 10.23 euros One of the biggest economic areas sharing a common currency was created with the introduction of the euro. Overnight, some 320 million people began carrying the same money in their wallets. But the skepticism was enormous. Many people were afraid that the stable Deutschmark would be replaced with a currency that would usher in an era of high inflation rates. Others were concerned about the influence of those national economies that produced less than Germany. What influence would their inflation rates have on the stability of the common currency? Starter kits Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: How stable would the new currency be? Many feared inflation The euro was made available at the stroke of midnight on December 31, 2001, but the run-up period was lengthy. T...

History | 16.11.2009 The Maastricht Treaty - February 7, 1992 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The Maastricht Treaty The "Treaty on the European Union" which was signed in Maastricht, the Netherlands, was the biggest step taken on the path to a political union in Europe since the Treaties of Rome in 1957. In 1989/90, European politics entered a somewhat icy phase. The Germans were being accused of forging ahead with reunification without showing any regard for the concerns of their neighbors. British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925) was anxious about the prospect of an overly powerful Germany in the heart of Europe. More than 80 million Germans would be living in a single state and - so she feared - would likely dominate over other European countries. French President Francois Mitterrand (1916 - 1996) was also not especially thrilled at the prospect of a unified Germany on France's eastern border. Political unity Bildunterschrift: Gr...

History | 16.11.2009 The fall of the Berlin Wall - November 9, 1989 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The path to German unity began with the fall of the Berlin Wall On the evening of November 9, East Germany's government spokesman Guenter Schabowski (1929) mistakenly announced that East Germans could travel to the West. It was the beginning of the end of the GDR This prime time press conference is now one of the most memorable in the history of the continent. Due to a misunderstanding, Guenter Schabowski incorrectly answered a follow-up question from an Italian journalist, who wanted to know when the GDR's new travel laws - which Schabowski had just announced - would come into effect. "According to my knowledge…immediately, without delay," Schabowski said, in a statement that is now infamous. As the press conference was being broadcast live, and watched in both East and West Germany, his words had enormous significance for the global po...

History | 16.11.2009 The Helsinki Accords - August 1, 1975 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Helmut Schmidt and Erich Honecker signing the accords Thirty-five countries signed the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe - also known as the Helsinki Accords, promising respect for human rights, and political and economic cooperation. Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Thirty-five nations took part in the CSCE On the initiative of the Warsaw Pact, the first Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was held in Helsinki on July 3, 1973. All European nations, with the exception of Albania, were in attendance. The goal was to improve relations between the Communist bloc and the West (NATO and the EEC). While Western Europe was organized in capitalist, democratic forms of government, Eastern Europe was made up of Communist or socialist states. The series of conferences was meant to contri...

History | 16.11.2009 The Treaties of Rome - March 25, 1957 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The treaties paved the way for the European Union With the Treaties of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (EEC), the centuries-old animosity between France and German ended, paving the way for European unification. Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (left) places his signature on the treaties The events that took place in Rome's Capitoline Museum on March 25, 1957 would have been unconceivable only years before. German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (1876 - 1967) and his counterparts from France, Italy and the Benelux countries signed the Roman Treaties, officially establishing the European Economic Community. But more than that, the treaties signaled a new friendship between Germany and its former war enemies - only 12 years since the end of World War II. In particular, the ...

History | 16.11.2009 The start of World War II – September 1, 1939 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Messerschmitt Nazi bomber plane In the morning hours of this day, the first shots were fired. After Germany's initial success, the page turned in 1941: the Allies gained the upper hand and defeated Germany in 1945. Since the fire in the Reichstag at the end of February 1933, the parliamentarians had been meeting at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin. Six years after the NSDAP and its leader, Adolf Hitler, seized power in an intrigue known as the "Machergreifung," all they really did was nod their assent to the laws the government wanted. They weren't really a part of the decision-making process anymore. All MPs were members of NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party); other parties were forbidden and their leaders either killed, arrested, exiled or silenced in some other way. On September 1, 1939, there was a tense calm before the s...

History | 16.11.2009 Long live the republic – November 9, 1918 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The November Revolution in Berlin The first German Republic was called into being twice within a matter of hours on this day: first by Social Democrat Philipp Scheidemann (1865 – 1939), and again by communist Karl Liebknecht (1871 – 1919). Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: German Emperor William II It was an exciting day. In Berlin and in other cities, people started to gather, as they had heard about the abdication of Emperor William II (1859 – 1941). Imperial Chancellor Prince Max of Baden (1867 – 1929) announced the abdication against William's will – he had never even been asked. But a short time later, William agreed, thus ending the imperial age in Germany. As a reaction to this development, it was said that the Communists would proclaim a Republic. Double declaration Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit ...

History | 16.11.2009 The Russian Revolution – October 25, 1917 Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg With the siege of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the Russian Revolution was victorious. The Bolsheviks took power, ruling for more than seven decades over Russia and large parts of Eastern Europe. The thundering of a cannon from the armored tank "Aurora," gave the starting signal for the glorious October revolution. The vibrations were still ringing in the air as the soldiers of the Red Army boldly pushed their way into the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg – the seat of the government – sweeping aside defenders of the old system. That was the picture of the event painted later by Soviet propaganda. In reality, government members were sitting, scared and defenseless, inside the palace. They didn't put up much of a defense – they'd stood too long in the critique of both right-wing extremists and the Bolshevik...

History | 16.11.2009 The Sarajevo attack Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Archduke of Austria Franz Ferdinand and Sophie, minutes before the attack The attack by Serbian extremists on the heirs to the Austrian throne on June 28, 1914 sparked what was called the "July Crisis" in Europe. A month later, World War I began. Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1863 – 1914) and his wife, Sophie (1868 – 1914) had just arrived in Sarajevo after a visit with German Emperor William II (1859 – 1941). They were invited to watch the maneuvers of the Austrian troops in Bosnia. On the way into the city, their procession of cars had to drive relatively slowly, which played into the hands of the attackers that lay in wait. First attempt fails Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: The young assassin whose shots set off World War I is taken by police to the police station in Sarajevo The first assassination attempt failed due to the quick r...