Latest news with #French-German
France 24
17 hours ago
- Business
- France 24
'We want to open a new chapter in German-French relations': Germany's Europe minister
While relations with France under the previous German government of Olaf Scholz were sometimes strained, Krichbaum suggests that things are changing under the new chancellor, Friedrich Merz. "It's no secret that we had different opinions between France and Germany in the past," Krichbaum says. "But the decisive point is that we have to finally find a consensus and to have an atmosphere of trust. And this, I think, is now the new dimension of French-German relations. We are not only opening a new page. We want to open a new chapter in German-French relations. But I think the instruments we have are sufficient. We don't need more common debts in Europe because the national states have a responsibility for their own national budgets." Krichbaum certainly does not exclude more European investment, but he says that "we should always take into account that we have to guarantee fair conditions between the generations. So that means not making more debts, more debts, more debts, but also thinking about the next generation, because this [debt] has to be paid back one day." On NATO and European defence, Krichbaum asserts that "Europe has to stay together; it has to define its own interest. And especially in defence politics." The German government is planning to invest "3.5 percent of GDP directly for defence, and 1.5 percent for infrastructure, which helps to achieve the goals we have in common. This is ambitious, and it cannot be reached within the next year or in 2027. But finally it's a target, and it should be achieved together. Germany did not realise the 2 percent targets a few years ago, but I think the challenges are enormously high, and without security, we can do nothing in the world, nothing in Europe and nothing in Germany." Recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Berlin not to supply Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine, while also saying that he is open to talking to the German chancellor. Krichbaum says that he personally was "always in favour of delivering Taurus, because it's necessary that Ukraine can defend itself. The United States wants to withdraw more and more from Ukraine because they concentrate more on the future on the Pacific. On China, Taiwan and the whole area. And so we have to concentrate on our task. And that means [supporting] Ukraine as a European country." He clarifies that no decision on Taurus has been made by the German government so far, but adds that "in the past we were transparent and so Putin could react because he knew at each stage what Europe will do next, what Germany will do next. And this transparency is not helpful". Finally, asked about Berlin's steadfast support for Israel and the US in the conflict with Iran, Krichbaum asserts: "Nobody can live in peace thinking that the [Iranian] mullah regime has a nuclear weapon. So I would dare to say that if it was possible to destroy all the plants, the enrichment plants in Iran, then I think this is a contribution to more security, not only for the region, but for the world. And now it is also necessary to find further solutions in negotiations."
Fibre2Fashion
29-05-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
Germany's BASF to take full control of Alsachimie joint venture
BASF and DOMO Chemicals have signed an agreement giving BASF the right to take over DOMO Chemicals' 49 per cent share of the Alsachimie joint venture, in which BASF currently holds 51 per cent. According to applicable laws, the intended transaction is subject to consultations with the relevant social bodies of Alsachimie, following which both companies would enter into a binding purchase agreement. Pending these consultations, BASF and DOMO Chemicals expect to close the transaction by mid-2025. BASF will acquire DOMO Chemicals' 49 per cent stake in Alsachimie, gaining full ownership by mid-2025, pending social body consultations. The move boosts BASF's polyamide 6.6 operations in Chalampé, France, enhancing integration and supply reliability. Alsachimie, formed in 2020, makes key precursors like KA-oil and AH salt. DOMO will focus on tailored polyamide solutions in key sectors. For BASF, the 100 per cent ownership of Alsachimie would be a strategic step to complement the company's strong footprint at the site in Chalampé, France, its European hub for polyamide (PA) 6.6 precursor production. As the sole owner of Alsachimie, BASF would be able to further strengthen its production setup and maximize backward integration into key raw materials in the PA 6.6 value chain. 'As a key supplier for polyamide 6.6 precursors, it is our priority to ensure the reliable supply in Europe,' said Dr. Stephan Kothrade, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE . 'By taking over the shares of our partner DOMO Chemicals, we are further strengthening our leading position and long-term commitment to the polyamide 6.6 value chain and paving the way for future growth with our customers in industries such as automotive and textiles.' 'For DOMO Chemicals, the intended transaction aligns with our strategy to continue to focus on delivering tailored polyamide solutions in the core segments automotive, consumer goods, industrial and electrical & electronics industries,' said Yves Bonte, CEO DOMO Chemicals. Alsachimie was founded in February 2020 as a joint venture between BASF (51 per cent) and DOMO Chemicals (49 per cent). The company is located at the French-German border and produces essential precursors for polyamides, including KA-oil, adipic acid and hexamethylenediamine adipate (AH salt). Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marcel Ophuls, Oscar-winning director of 'The Sorrow and the Pity', dies aged 97
Marcel Ophuls, the acclaimed French-German documentary filmmaker whose probing explorations of history and memory helped shaped the genre for decades, has died at the age of 97. His grandson, Andreas-Benjamin Seyfert, confirmed that he "died peacefully" on Saturday. Ophuls' life and career focus was shaped enormously by his own experience of war and exile. Born in Frankfurt in 1927 to German-Jewish parents - actor Hilde Wall and celebrated director Max Ophuls - he was just six years old when the family were forced to flee due to the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933. They found temporary refuge in France, only to be forced away again in 1940 as German forces advanced across Europe. They escaped across the Pyrenees into Spain, and eventually reached the United States in December 1941. After finishing college in Los Angeles, Ophuls served in a U.S. Army theatrical unit in occupied Japan in 1946. In 1950, he returned to France and began his film career as an assistant to renowned directors Julien Duvivier and Anatole Litvak. After early forays into fiction, including the 1964 comedy-thriller hit Banana Peel starring Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo, Ophuls turned to documentaries. Ophuls' most renowned work, The Sorrow and the Pity (1969), was a groundbreaking documentary that questioned France's postwar narrative of noble resistance. Across four hours, the film focuses on the town of Clermont-Ferrand and pulls together a collection of interviews with Resistance fighters, collaborators, Nazi officers, and seemingly ordinary citizens to expose an uneasy truth: that complicity with the occupiers had permeated every level of French society, from local hairdressers to aristocrats. The blow to national self-image was so profound that French television banned the documentary for more than a decade, refusing to air it until 1981. While making pioneering waves in historical documentary circles, the film also left its mark on pop culture. In Annie Hall, Woody Allen famously uses the film as an unlikely first-date movie. Ophuls continued to tackle the shadows of the 20th century. In 1988, he won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, a chilling investigation into the Nazi war criminal known as the "Butcher of Lyon." In later years, he remained outspoken on political issues, turning his attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2014, he began crowdfunding Unpleasant Truths, a documentary co-directed with Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan that sought to explore the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe. Initially conceived as a collaboration with French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard - who later withdrew but appears briefly in the film - the project was ultimately stalled by financial and legal complications and remains unfinished.
Euronews
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Marcel Ophuls, director of 'The Sorrow and the Pity', dies aged 97
Marcel Ophuls, the acclaimed French-German documentary filmmaker whose probing explorations of history and memory helped shaped the genre for decades, has died at the age of 97. His grandson, Andreas-Benjamin Seyfert, confirmed that he "died peacefully" on Saturday. Ophuls' life and career focus was shaped enormously by his own experience of war and exile. Born in Frankfurt in 1927 to German-Jewish parents - actor Hilde Wall and celebrated director Max Ophuls - he was just six years old when the family were forced to flee due to the rise of the Nazi regime in 1933. They found temporary refuge in France, only to be forced away again in 1940 as German forces advanced across Europe. They escaped across the Pyrenees into Spain, and eventually reached the United States in December 1941. After finishing college in Los Angeles, Ophuls served in a U.S. Army theatrical unit in occupied Japan in 1946. In 1950, he returned to France and began his film career as an assistant to renowned directors Julien Duvivier and Anatole Litvak. After early forays into fiction, including the 1964 comedy-thriller hit Banana Peel starring Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo, Ophuls turned to documentaries. Ophuls' most renowned work, The Sorrow and the Pity (1969), was a groundbreaking documentary that questioned France's postwar narrative of noble resistance. Across four hours, the film focuses on the town of Clermont-Ferrand and pulls together a collection of interviews with Resistance fighters, collaborators, Nazi officers, and seemingly ordinary citizens to expose an uneasy truth: that complicity with the occupiers had permeated every level of French society, from local hairdressers to aristocrats. The blow to national self-image was so profound that French television banned the documentary for more than a decade, refusing to air it until 1981. While making pioneering waves in historical documentary circles, the film also left its mark on pop culture. In Annie Hall, Woody Allen famously uses the film as an unlikely first-date movie. Ophuls continued to tackle the shadows of the 20th century. In 1988, he won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, a chilling investigation into the Nazi war criminal known as the "Butcher of Lyon." In later years, he remained outspoken on political issues, turning his attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2014, he began crowdfunding Unpleasant Truths, a documentary co-directed with Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan that sought to explore the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe. Initially conceived as a collaboration with French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard - who later withdrew but appears briefly in the film - the project was ultimately stalled by financial and legal complications and remains unfinished. Anything you can think of, we bet it has a day dedicated to it. For example, today is —checks notes — National Blueberry Cheesecake Day and World Dracula Day. Indeed, most are dubious in origin and officialdom — but admittedly quite handy if you've been looking for an excuse to eat cheesecake in a cape. They're also a good excuse to share some themed suggestions, and although World Goth Day and International Museum Day have now passed, angsty art and zany curations live on forever. And speaking of zany — this week's Agenda is markedly so, with a UK cheese rolling contest taking place today, and Wes Anderson's new film The Phoenician Scheme beginning its own rollout across cinemas. Providing balance is the wistful photography of filmmaker Wim Wenders, and a rousing group exhibition in London that explores memory, belonging and place. But if you're just here to party, Lyon is calling with its umph umph umph annual electro takeover at Nuits Sonores. Unfortunately, we're not that cool — so will likely be watching And just Like That... while pretending it's World Eat A Large Pizza In Bed Day, or something. Lastly, if you're still debating seeing Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, check out our latest culture catch-up for critic David Mouriquand's thoughts.* (spoiler: He hated it.) Here are this week's highlights. Wim Wenders: Nearby and Far Away. Photography Where: Galerie Bastian (Berlin, Germany) When: Until 26 July 2025 The German filmmaker behind classics like Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders has always had an incredible ability to capture the echoing expanse of human dreams. Richly metaphorical and quietly revelatory, his films transform people and places into moving poetry. It's a quality that's visible in his photography, too. On display at Berlin's Galerie Bastian, his series of snapshots taken across China depict the sweeping shapes and static figures of distant landscapes. For fans of Wenders' work, it's a must-see — with a major retrospective of his photography set to follow at the Bundeskunsthalle in August 2025. Finding My Blue Sky (A group show curated by Dr Omar Kholeif) Where: Lisson Gallery (London, UK) When: 30 May – 26 July 2025 Ahead of London Gallery Weekend (6-8 June), the prestigious Lisson Gallery is bringing over 20 artists together for a major new multimedia group exhibition, which spans both its Bell Street and Lisson Street spaces. Those involved include British artist Lubaina Himid, Nigerian visual artist Otobong Nkanga, and Lebanese painter and sculptor, Huguette Caland. Together, they have created a diverse and emotive ode to London that explores personal entwinements with places — how we shape them, and they, in turn, shape us. Bonus head's up: British virtual band Gorillaz have announced a new immersive exhibition titled 'House of Kong', set to open in August in London. Tickets are available now and likely to sell fast — don't be left On Melancholy Hill! Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Festival Where: Cooper's Hill (Gloucestershire, UK) When: 26 May 2025 A whole day dedicated to cheese rolling? You'd feta believe it! Although the cheese of choice is actually a chunky wheel of Double Gloucester. This kooky annual event has been taking place since roughly 1826 — although the exact origins are murky and thought to date back even further. Hosted on Coopers Hill in the English county of Gloucestershire, participants must race to catch their cheeses — no easy feat when the wheels can reach speeds of up to 70mph. The first race begins at 12pm BST (1pm CEST), and to all those rolling with their homies: Gouda luck. Nuits Sonores 'Nights of Sound' Festival A post shared by Nuits sonores (@nuits_sonores) Where: Lyon, France When: 28 May - 1 June 2025 One of the biggest electro-music events in France, Nuits Sonores takes place across the vibrant city of Lyon for five days every year. From English trip hoppers Massive Attack, to American DJ Honey Dijon, to French electro duo Cassius and techno icon Jeff Mills — the line-up is well and truly stacked. Most of the major events will be held at Les Grandes Locos in the day, and La Sucrière at night, both former industrial spaces-turned cultural beacons. Grab your bucket hats and pour yourself a strong coffee — it's gonna be a late one. The Phoenician Scheme Where: UK cinemas When: 30 May (with a wider theatrical release 6 June) Fresh off the Cannes Film Festival circuit is Wes Anderson's latest confection, starring (as usual) an all-star ensemble that includes regulars Scarlett Johansson, Bill Murray and Benedict Cumberbatch. Set in the 1950s, we follow suave businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) and his trainee nun daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton) as they try to secure investments for a fictional place called Phoenicia — all while dodging a band of eccentric tycoons. Lots of pastel, perfectly poised mischief ensues in this frenetic family adventure, which will either delight Anderson fans — or exhaust them. And Just Like That… (Season 3) Where: Sky and NOW When: 30 May 2025 As a new season of the Sex and the City spin-off returns, I couldn't help but wonder: Why? That's a lie, actually — cringeworthy as the show is, it's also frustratingly addictive. Continuing to follow the lives of Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) as they navigate their 50s alongside a host of new characters, it's got about as much substance as a Manolo Blahnik shoe. But fans know what they're in for here. And even if we're still reeling over that stupid season 2 ending in which Aidan asked Carrie to wait five years for him (as if!), the show's familiar template and superficial sheen encourage your brain to happily melt. Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful When: 30 May 2025 In the nearly 20 years since her breakout role as teen pop idol Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus has done everything to break free from her Disneyfication. Giant wrecking balls were straddled, and twerking routines performed. But through the struggle of growing up in the limelight, Miley emerged as an artist whose strength is in constantly evolving — and those powerhouse vocals. Following 'Endless Summer Vacation', from which 'Flowers' became Spotify's most-streamed song of 2023, she returns with her eighth output: 'Something Beautiful'. Inspired by Pink Floyd's groundbreaking concept album 'The Wall', Miley has also produced and directed a companion film, set to be released some time in June.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Netherlands buys 46 Leopard tanks from KNDS for more than $1 billion
PARIS — The Netherlands signed a contract to buy 46 Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks from French-German defense firm KNDS for more than €1 billion (US$1.1 billion), following through on a plan to re-establish a heavy armor component for its land forces. The Dutch are buying the tanks from KNDS Deutschland through the framework contract established by Germany's Bundeswehr equipment office, with an option for an additional six tanks, according to statements from the Ministry of Defense and KNDS on Wednesday. The first tank will be handed over in 2028, with deliveries finalized in 2031, according to the Netherlands. 'With the current threat of large-scale conflict, the tank is an indispensable tool,' Dutch State Secretary for Defence Gijs Tuinman said. 'A force that, combined with smart tactics, is difficult to stop. The Leopard remains the king of the battlefield.' The Dutch disbanded their last tank battalions in 2011 during an era of defense cuts, selling their remaining Leopard 2A6 tanks to Finland in 2014. The Netherlands have been leasing 2A6 tanks from Germany since 2015, providing one of the four companies in the mixed German-Dutch 414 Tank Battalion based at Germany's Bergen-Hohne military training area. The new fully Dutch battalion will remain based at Bergen-Hohne, where the Dutch says there is enough space for realistic training, something that is lacking in the Netherlands, one of Europe's most densely populated countries. The Leopard 2 is used by 15 European countries, according to KNDS. The Netherlands said the fact that other countries such as Lithuania, Norway and Sweden have ordered the Leopard makes international cooperation easier. The Leopard is 'the best tank available,' Tuinman said, describing the tracked vehicle as 'pure combat power,' with advanced systems and sensors creating a unit with 'formidable firepower.' The 2A8 features significant improvements compared to the version operated previously by the Dutch, with an improved barrel, better protection against improvised explosive devices, superior sensors, active protection and an upgraded transmission, according to the ministry. The 2A8 version of the Leopard will be fitted with an active protection system, the MoD said, without providing details. In Germany's case, that's the EuroTrophy system developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and designed as a hard-kill measure against anti-tank missiles. The Dutch plan to include an unmanned component in the future tank battalion, which will still have about 500 troops, according to the ministry. The Netherlands will decide in 2027 whether to exercise the option for an additional six tanks. The total budget, including spare parts, specialized tools, factory training and documentation amounts to between €1 billion and €2.5 billion, the Dutch MoD said. The Netherlands is also buying four Leopard 2A8 driver training vehicles. The Netherlands had announced its tank-buying plans in September, as part of increased defense spending, providing details on the future tank fleet the next month. The country increased its 2025 defense budget to €22 billion from €21.4 billion last year, with plans to go to around €24 billion a year. The Netherlands also signed a contract for Saab's Carl Gustav M4 anti-tank weapon, with first deliveries planned by the end of this year and continuing through to 2028. The M4 will replace the Panzerfaust-3 in service with the Dutch forces, which the MoD says has a maximum range of 600 meters and has become obsolete.
