Germany's ex-chancellor Gerhard Schröder on Friday slammed a state parliamentary inquiry into the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia as 'ridiculous' and said he did not regret his role in its controversial construction. The inquiry, at the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania regional parliament, is looking into political influence around construction of the pipeline between Russia and Germany and possible Russian interventions in favour of the project. The investigation focuses on the state's Climate Protection Foundation that was allegedly used to shield companies involved in building it from US sanctions.
Despite increased pressure on East German authorities to increase freedom of movement between East and West, no-one woke up on November 9th, 1989 expecting to see people tearing down the wall that evening. In fact, on that day the government had decided to placate protesters by announcing new, laxer travel regulations. But thanks to Günter Schabowski, the newly appointed government spokesman, history took a different turn.