German Exporters Expect Bleak Future

REUTERS

Germany's economy is growing at a snail's pace.

Companies in Germany that rely on exports are becoming increasingly concerned about the future of the country's economy, according to a new industry survey. The downturn in optimism is yet another indication that Europe may be in for a period of extended stagnation.

In April, Germany's central bank, the Bundesbank, was optimistic. Springtime would bring a rapid recovery from the winter blues and an increase in investment, it said. "Business activity expectations for the German economy have recovered quickly and strikingly in the last three months," the Bundesbank wrote in its report.

Γιατί αμφισβητεί η Τουρκία την κυριαρχία μας στα Δωδεκάνησα

Το 1996 μετά την κρίση των Ιμίων είχε διαρρεύσει στον Τύπο ένα εγχειρίδιο της Πολεμικής Ακαδημίας των Τουρκικών Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων στο οποίο παρουσιάζονταν καθαρά οι θέσεις της Τουρκίας περί «γκρίζων ζωνών» στο Αιγαίο. Το ελληνικό υπουργείο Εξωτερικών διευκρινίζει ότι στις διερευνητικές επαφές ανάμεσα στην Ελλάδα και την Τουρκία η θεωρία των «γκρίζων ζωνών» έχει ατονήσει από πλευράς των Τούρκων. Η Ακαδημία Ιστορίας της Τουρκίας όμως δημοσίευσε ένα βιβλίο το 2004 με τίτλο «Οι ζώνες του Λυκόφωτος στο Αιγαίο – Τα μη Λησμονημένα Τουρκικά Νησιά» στο οποίο επαναλαμβάνονται όλα τα επιχειρήματα της Τουρκίας για το Αιγαίο, τα νησιά και τις βραχονησίδες του. Στο βιβλίο συμπεριλαμβάνονται και χάρτες που δείχνουν, σύμφωνα με τους Τούρκους ιστορικούς, ποιες νησίδες και θαλάσσιες περιοχές που τις περιβάλλουν δεν παραχωρήθηκαν ποτέ στην Ελλάδα.

Report: Obama asked Abbas not to take Israel to ICC

Obama and King Abdullah, Friday

Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper says during Ramallah talks US president urged PA leader to refrain from hauling Israel before court in The Hague for any reason; Abbas threatens to turn to court immediately should Jewish state start building in E1 zone

US President Barack Obama asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to refrain from taking Israel to the International Criminal Court in The Hague for any reason, the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported Saturday.

Senate backs Israel in event of strike on Iran nuclear weapon program

NEW YORK — In a show of force, the United States Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution urging an uncompromising US stance against Iranian efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, calling for Washington’s support should Israel strike the program.

Chechen honorary consul assassinated in Ankara

Medet Ünlü, Chechnya's honorary consul in Turkey, was shot dead on Thursday in the Turkish capital of Ankara. (Photo: Cihan, İlkay Göçmen)

The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's honorary consul in Turkey, Medet Ünlü, was shot dead on Wednesday evening in Ankara.

Syrian opposition meets in İstanbul for key talks on peace conference

SNC President Mouaz Al-Khatib (L) and members of the syrian National coalition during a syrian opposition groups meeting in İstanbul. (Photo: EPA, Bülent Kılıç)

Members of the main Syrian opposition group opened a three-day meeting in İstanbul on Thursday to discuss a US-Russian initiative to bring Syria's warring sides to the negotiating table.

Σουηδία: Διαδηλώσεις κι επεισόδια για πέμπτη νύχτα - Πυρκαγιά σε αστυνομικό τμήμα

Για πέμπτη νύχτα συνεχίσθηκαν τα επεισόδια σε φτωχά ανατολικά και νότια προάστια της Στοκχόλμης, όπου ζουν κατά μεγάλο ποσοστό μετανάστες και φτωχοί Σουηδοί. Οι ταραχές ξέσπασαν με αφορμή τη δολοφονία ενός 69χρονου μετανάστη μέσα στο σπίτι του, από την αστυνομία, και λόγω της δημόσιας συζήτησης για την ένταξη των μεταναστών. Το βράδυ της Πέμπτης, τουλάχιστον εννέα οχήματα καταστράφηκαν από τη φωτιά, ενώ δύο σχολεία και ένα αστυνομικό τμήμα υπέστησαν ζημιές από πυρκαγιά.

• Αρχή συλλογής
• Η πυροσβεστική αντιμετωπίζει πυρκαγιά σε παιδικό σταθμό του προαστίου της Στοκχόλμης, Kista, στις 24/5/2013 JONATHAN NACKSTRAND / AFP
• Επόμενο:

Πέμπτη νύχτα επεισοδίων στην Στοκχόλμη. Φωτογραφία: Reuters

Iran could use a nuclear weapon against Israel and get away with it

Wednesday’s IAEA report offered more proof than ever that Iran is racing toward a nuclear weapon. Even President Obama acknowledges this fact. Yet Obama has refused to endorse the tough approach advocated by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The reason is simple: Israel faces an existential threat of an Iranian nuclear attack, while the United States does not.

With diplomacy and sanctions failing, world leaders still give lip service to the dangers of a nuclear Iran. But they often dismiss the idea that Iran would actually use a nuclear weapon against Israel. They believe that Iran is a rational actor, and that Israel’s strong nuclear deterrent is sufficient to safeguard the Jewish state. It is not.

Kerry Meets With Israelis and Palestinians to Revive Peace Process

Injecting a sense of urgency into his mission to revive the moribund peace process, Secretary of State John Kerryheld a round of meetings Thursday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Jim Young/Reuters

Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Tel Aviv on Thursday. “This moment is a critical one for the region,” he said.

“I am convinced, with great humility, that this moment is a critical one for the region and particularly for Israel, for Palestine and for Jordan,” Mr. Kerry said before meeting with President Shimon Peres of Israel.

Early Putin biography gives insight into dark mood of distrust in president’s inner circle

At a cafe on the Place des Vosges, Natalia Gevorkyan is picking at a salade verte and thinking about betrayal.

View Photo Gallery — Politics and Power: Since taking the office in 2000, Vladimir Putin has expanded the powers of Russia's presidency, consolidating authority in the Kremlin and weakening other democratic institutions.

It’s a central theme in the worldview of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president and a man who once spent many hours telling her of his life and his credo. It was natural for a KGB officer to suspect betrayal all around him, she says, and although Putin left the agency nearly two decades ago, he has never shaken its particular view of human nature. Yet today, an air of suspicion seems to permeate the Kremlin more than at any time since he came to power.