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State-run German museums disclose works acquired during Nazi era

A Munich-based foundation that oversees the art collections of museums located throughout the titular German state is set to publicly disclose the origins of over 1,000 works acquired during the Nazi rule. The Bavarian State Painting Collections is launching an extensive database that includes information regarding over 1,200 paintings that researchers have found were acquired during the National Socialist period, or had ownership links to Nazi officials. There are a series of artworks that were given to museums and galleries during this time that are often subject to legal claims from descendants of persecuted Jewish families. Operating since 1999, a specialised unit dedicated to origin research has been reviewing all the ownership records of each and every artwork in the Bavarian State Paintings Collections that were created before 1945, and have been acquired since 1933. Throughout the database notes, a statement will accompany each artwork to alert people of its proper origins. This protocol is in keeping with the 1998 Washington Principles and the 1999 Joint Declaration of the Federal Government, both of which mounted calls for greater transparency surrounding the provenances of artworks believed to be subject to restitution claims. Other initiatives have been put into practice around the world, with <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/entertainment/art/new-york-museums-now-required-to-acknowledge-art-stolen-under-nazi-rule">museums and galleries in New York</a> now now legally required to acknowledge art stolen under the Nazi regime. The new state law requires New York museums to display signage alongside works of art from before 1945 that are known to have been stolen or forcibly sold during the Nazi rule. According to legislation and expert testimony, the Germans looted 600,000 works of art during World War II. Image credits: Getty Images

Art

World’s sixth largest cruise ship will never sail

A cruise ship designed to hold more than 9,000 passengers - making it one of the largest in the world - will never set sail, instead travelling straight to a scrapyard. In a shipyard on Germany’s Baltic coast, the Global Dream II was almost complete when MV Werften, the shipbuilder, filed for bankruptcy in January 2022, per <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jun/20/global-dream-ii-unfinished-9000-passenger-cruise-ship-to-be-scrapped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a>. Lacking the funds to complete the vessel themselves, the company sought a buyer for it. Though the facilities were successfully sold to a German naval unit, the Global Dream II will be scrapped as it isn’t outfitted for military purposes. Christoph Morgen, the administrator for the bankrupt company, reportedly told a press conference that the Global Dream II would need to be moved out of the shipyard by the end of the year. German cruise industry magazine <a href="https://anbord.de/global-dream-ii-wird-verschrottet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An Bord</a> reported that its lower hull would be disposed of for scrap price. The looming ship, along with its sister ship, Global Dream, would have held the record for largest cruise ships by passenger capacity. With a combined weight of 208,000 tons, the ships would have also been the sixth largest cruise ships by size, trailing behind the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships. Image: Getty Images

Cruising

Michael Schumacher’s family accused of lying about star’s condition

Michael Schumacher's family have been accused of lying about the F1 star’s condition following a scary brain injury incident. The F1 champion’s health has been closely monitored following a terrifying skiing accident at a French resort of Meribel in December 2013. His wife and family have been keeping his condition under wraps as he recovers at their home in Switzerland. However, Schumacher's former manager Willi Weber, 80, has accused the family of preventing him from visiting and speaking to the star since the incident. Weber has spoken to Schumacher's wife Corinna and close friend Jean Todt who repeatedly told him that “it’s too early” and to just “wait”. “I tried hundreds of times to contact Corinna and she didn't answer," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I called Jean Todt to ask him if I should go to the hospital and he told me to wait – it's too early. "I called the next day and no one answered. I didn't expect behaviour like that and I'm still angry about it. They kept me out, telling me it's too early, well now it's too late. It's been nine years. Maybe they should just say it the way it is. "I could understand the situation initially as I always did everything I could for Michael to protect his private life. But since then we have only heard lies from them." Corrina appeared in the Netflix documentary SCHUMACHER, and spoke about wanting to protect her family after her husband’s incident. “Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength, I find," she said. "We're together. We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable. And to simply make him feel our family, our bond. "And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. "We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.” Image: Getty

Caring

23 cities you learned about in school that no longer exist

Looking around your city, it may be hard to imagine that there might be a time when it no longer exists. But that’s exactly what happened to these communities. Read on to learn all about the fires, floods, disasters and unsolved mysteries that led to these cities no longer existing.East Berlin, Germany The Soviet sector of Berlin was established in 1945 and existed until 1990. The Wall that divided it from West Berlin became a symbol of the evils of communism to the rest of the world until it finally fell in 1989. Today, a united Berlin is the largest city and capital of Germany. Berlin has also earned the distinction of being deemed one of the most honest cities in the world.Hashima Island, JapanHashima Island was formerly one of the most populated cities in the world. The 6 hectare island provided jobs to more than 5000 people, many of whom made their living at the island’s underwater coal mines. When the mines were closed, Hashima Island was abandoned. Today it is nothing but dilapidated high rises and forgotten buildings as evidenced in these pictures of Hashima Island.Consonno, ItalyConsonno was a tiny town with a population of less than 300 and roots dating back to the middle ages. The residents made their living harvesting crops like chestnuts and celery. Then Mario Bagno came along and decided to turn the area into the Las Vegas of Italy and planned on calling it the City of Toys. He demolished nearly every building and set to work on building his masterpiece. Then disaster struck: in 1976 a landslide buried the access road and the project was never finished. Today, Consonno has been abandoned.Little America, AntarcticaLittle America was the name of not one, but five different postal outposts in Antarctica. The first was established in 1933 and the last, in 1958. Where did they go? The answer is as unique as Antarctica itself. One by one, they floated out to sea. If the glaciers continue to melt, that could spell disaster for Antarctica.Eastern Settlement, GreenlandEastern Settlement in Greenland isn’t just an abandoned city, it’s also a mystery. Once the most populated area in Greenland, the area was abandoned and no one knows why. The last known writings from the area pertained to a wedding in 1408 and offered no clues.Pompeii, ItalyPompeii was once a resort town in Italy where wealthy Romans spent their vacations. In 79 CE, Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city under ash. It was all but forgotten until 1800 years later when archaeologists found the city that remained intact beneath the rubble.Machu Picchu, PeruToday Machu Picchu is on the bucket list of dream trips for many travellers, but there was a time it was an Incan city spanning over eight kilometres. Historians believe it was a religious or royal site but the city’s origins are largely mysterious. Machu Picchu was abandoned in the early 1500s around the time of the Spanish Conquistadors. Since archaeologists haven’t discovered evidence the area was attacked, many speculate the population could have been wiped out by a smallpox epidemic.Troy, TurkeyTroy was rendered immortal in Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad. For many years, the Troy of Ancient Greece was merely the stuff of legend but in the 1800s its location was discovered in what is now Turkey. The site contains layers of ruins archaeologists are still studying.Bannack, MontanaGold was discovered at the site that became Bannack in 1862 and the city that sprung up around the ensuing boom briefly served as the capital of the Montana territory. Like many cities built during the gold rush, Bannack is now a ghost town. The location and old buildings have been preserved as a state park for visitors who want to experience a little bit of history.Kolmanskop, NamibiaKomanskop was once an affluent mining village that owed its riches to the world’s never-ending need for diamond engagement rings. After World War II, the diamonds became increasingly scarce and by the 1950s the mine was depleted. With no way to earn a living, the residents eventually moved away and the abandoned city is now a tourist attraction.Hallsands, United KingdomThe people in the small town of Hallsands were minding their business one evening in 1917 when the entire village – save for one house – collapsed and fell into the sea. The residents were left homeless and rebuilt elsewhere. Today the remains of the village of Hallsands are under the sea.Centralia, PennsylvaniaCentralia was a tiny town whose residents relied on coal mining to make their living. Then in 1962, a fire made its way into a coal seam – and has continued to burn for 50 years. In 1981 a young boy was almost killed falling through a sinkhole caused by the fire, prompting congress to buy out the remaining residents to give them the means to relocate. There were a few holdouts, leading the state of Pennsylvania to condemn all the remaining buildings and strip Centralia of its postcode in 1992 to encourage the remaining residents to move. Despite this, a church still stands in Centralia and is open to all who seek a place to worship.San Juan Parangaricutiro, MexicoSan Juan Parangaricutiro was a thriving community until the Paricutin volcano erupted in 1943, covering the city in lava and ash. The volcano continued to erupt for eight years, completely decimating all except the tower and altar of the city’s church. Today, the half-buried church is a major tourist attraction.Pripyat, UkraineThe nuclear disaster in Chernobyl led to the downfall of the once vibrant city of Pripyat when tens of thousands of people were forced to abandon their homes, never to return. Today, Pripyat is an abandoned city full of overgrown vegetation and crumbling high rises.Cahokia, IllinoisToday Cahokia is the name of a village in Illinois but there was a time when the area was the site of an industrious indigenous community and the biggest city north of Mexico. It was abandoned around 1350, although no one knows why. They did, however, leave behind the famous Cahokia Mounds, which you can still go and visit today.Lukangol, SudanLukangol was a bustling city until ethnic clashes led to a horrifying massacre in 2011. Fortunately, nearly 20,000 people were able to flee before the attack, but there was nevertheless a severe loss of life. The city itself was burnt to ashes and the citizens of Kukangol were unable to return.Taxila, PakistanThe ancient city of Taxila, Pakistan flourished from the 5th century BCE until the 2nd century CE. It was an important site for the scholarship and practice of Buddhism and the architecture reflected the influence of Persian, Greek and Central Asian cultures. Unfortunately, the Epthlatites invaded and destroyed most of the city. It was never rebuilt and subsequently abandoned by its people. Its awe-inspiring ruins still remain today.Nan Madol, Federated States of MicronesiaAncient architects pulled off some pretty amazing feats, but perhaps none were more mind-boggling than Nan Madol, a city built on top of coral reefs. The columns and stones are so heavy and imposing that even today, scientists have yet to figure out how it was built. The city was the centre of the Saudeleur Dynasty until the first part of the 1600s when the Saudeleur were overthrown and the site was abandoned.Easter IslandEaster Island is one of the seven wonders of the world, and for good reason. Originally known as Rapa Nui, the island is about as remote as you can get. It’s located 3700 km from South America and 1700 km from the next nearest island. To this day, scientists can’t explain when Easter Island was populated, how the citizens built its heavy stone statues, or why and how everyone left.Dead Cities, SyriaThe Dead Cities of Syria was actually a group of 40 villages dating from the 1st to 20th Centuries CE. Long enough to transition from the pagan religions of the Roman Empire to Christianity. Although no one is sure why they were abandoned, most researchers theorise it was due to unfavourable trade routes or a series of invasions. The cities still stand and remain an architectural wonder today.Fort Mose, FloridaFort Mose has a fascinating and important history. More than a quarter-century ago, escaped slaves from the Carolinas found refuge in America’s oldest city, St Augustine. From there, they established America’s original underground railroad and toiled to free the people left behind. Eventually, they were granted their own town by Florida’s Spanish governor. The community of Fort Mose has been long since abandoned but it will go down in the history books as the first legally sanctioned free black town in what is now the United States.Akrotiri, GreeceThe picture-perfect city of Santorini is built on top of the ancient city of Akrotiri. Akrotiri was destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Thera during the 16th century and covered in ash and lava. Many believe it was the origin story for the mythology of the Lost City of Atlantis. Scientists have been working to preserve and excavate what they can of ancient Akrotiri since 1967 so we can learn more about the lives of the people who once lived there.Humberstone, ChileHumberstone was once known as La Palma. It was renamed after James Humberstone, a chemical engineer who emigrated to South America in the late 1800s and made a fortune mining saltpeter. At its peak, Humberstone was a mining town that provided a home to approximately 3500 people. However, saltpeter was no longer needed after synthetic fertilisers were invented after World War I and the city was abandoned. The city is still remarkably well preserved due to the area’s arid climate.Image credits: Getty ImagesThis article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/culture/24-cities-you-learned-about-in-school-that-no-longer-exist?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>.

International Travel

Red Cross nurse accused of switching vaccines for salt solution

Northern German authorities are contacting thousands of people and informing them to get another COVID-19 jab after an investigation uncovered that a Red Cross nurse may have injected them with a saline solution. The nurse has been suspected of injecting salt solution into people's arms instead of a real dose at a vaccination centre in Friesland, a district near the North Sea Coast. "I am totally shocked by this episode," Sven Ambrosy, a local councillor, said on Facebook. Local authorities are in the process of contacting over 8,600 residents who may have been affected. <img style="width: 500px; height:281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7836313/vaccine.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/1e3453d989304150b35c9bbfb0e97893" /> Image: Shutterstock Saline solution is harmless, however many people who got vaccinated in Germany in March and April are elderly people at high risk of catching the deadly viral disease. Sadly, the time frame that a majority of elderly people received the jab, coincides with when the nurse is suspected to have switched the vaccines. Police investigator Peter Beer, told German media that there is "a reasonable suspicion of danger". The nurse, who remains anonymous for now, made it clear on social media that she was sceptical of vaccines in social media posts, police investigators said.

Body

Pensioner charged over possession of World War II tank

An 84-year-old man has been convicted by a German court for the illegal possession of weapons. His illegal, personal arsenal of weapons, including a Panther tank, a flak cannon, and other World War II military equipment, was discovered by authorities in 2015. The man’s storage facility in northern Germany was raided by police in 2015 during an investigation into black market Nazi-art. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HMUUQJB6LJw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe> The investigation had turned up two bronze horse statues that stood in front of Adolf Hitler’s Chancellery in another man’s possession. Instead of art, authorities found a cache of machine guns, automatic pistols, and more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition. According to local media, the man was outspoken about his weapons collection and even used the tank as a snowplough during one bad winter. The man was handed a suspended prison sentence of 14 months and ordered to pay a 250,000 euro ($400,00) fine, German news agency dpa reported. The defendant was also ordered to sell or donate the 40-tonne tank and anti-aircraft cannon to a museum or a collector within the next two years. Geral Geocke, the man’s lawyer, spoke outside court, saying the suspended sentence reflected that the weapons were intended as museum pieces rather than for harming others. Video: shz.de

Legal

Broadcaster apologises for offensive bungle

A Dutch public broadcaster has been forced to apologise for wrongly subtitling the German national anthem using Nazi-era lyrics while it was being played before the team’s Euro 2020 match against England. NPO issued the apology on Twitter, with the account saying “the wrong verse was accidentally shown” and apologising to viewers who were offended by the error during the match on the morning of Wednesday, June 30 (NZST). “During the live subtitling of the German national anthem at the European Championship match England-Germany, the wrong verse was displayed by mistake,” NPO said on Twitter. “This was a mistake by one of our subtitlers. We apologise to viewers who were disturbed by this.” The verse beginning with the words “Deutschland, Deutschland ueber alles” was removed in 1945 following the end of World War II due to its association with the Nazi regime. The lyrics include the line “Germany, above all, above everything in the world” - which summed up Hitler’s desire to take over the world. Image: NPO

Mind

Germans turn to the woods for mindfulness

Of all the German words without a direct English equivalent, one has seen a resurgence during the coronavirus epidemic. Waldeinsamkeit - which translates to “solitude of the forest” according to Google Translate - can be best described as the sublime feeling that can come from being completely alone and at peace in the forest. With more free time, flexibility, and pressure at home - without many other options to occupy free time - Germans are visiting forests to find that kind of solitude in greater numbers than before. Recent research by the European Forest Institute has confirmed it, finding that visits to a monitored tract of woods in North-Rhine-Westphalia experienced an unprecedented jump in visitors during the first and second lockdowns. The authors concluded that forests were a critical infrastructure for national public health and society at large, with the German people once again seeking forest solitude during the pandemic. “In our recent study, visitors said finding tranquility was by far the number one motivation to go to the forest,” European Forest Institute researcher Jeanne-Lazya Roux said. “Another new study we are working on shows there is a renaissance in valuing forests for their spiritual attributes, or re-spiritualisation of the forest, as we call it.” A resurgence Professor Nikolaus Wegmann, a Germanist and literary historian at Princeton University, told the BBC waldeinsamkeit is seeing revalidation as people absorb the philosophy of the word in their post-pandemic lives. “On one level, waldeinsamkeit is a simple compound of the word ‘forest’ (wald) and ‘loneliness’ (einsamkeit), but on another it represents the soul and deeper psyche of Germany,” said Wegmann. “Nowadays, the term is taking on a new meaning because of coronavirus: the isolation and loneliness of the forest, in contrast to the world of the city, is increasingly attractive.” With 90 billion trees, 76 tree species and about 1,215 species of plants within Germany’s forest, which cover 33 percent of the country’s land area, it’s not hard to see where the attraction comes from. “The concept of going into the woods is part of everyday life for us Germans,” Wegmann said. “Even though we’re one of the most industrialised nations in the world, you don’t need to go looking for a forest here. We are forest people, even as far back as the Roman empire when the Romans described us as such.” Over time, the term has come to represent Germany’s culture too, with many throughout history citing the practice as a cure for stress. “Waldeinsamkeit is a visible strain throughout German culture and history and the term might have fallen out of favour, but it continues to convey a very romantic notion of the country,” said Austen Hinkley, a doctoral candidate at Princeton’s Department of Comparative Literature. “The claim the term is untranslatable and indescribable to non-Germans is also important. It can only really be explained by first-hand experience - total immersion in the German landscape.” Image: dinner / Instagram

International Travel

The single act that shows why Ash Barty is a next level champion

When asked about her recent COVID-19 immunisation, Aussie tennis star Ash Barty gave a response that impressed fans. During her post-victory press conference in Stuttgart, after nabbing a spot in the quarter-finals of the WTA clay-court tournament in Germany, Barty received several questions about her vaccination. She revealed the lengths she went to in order to avoid jumping the vaccine queue or using her tennis fame to receive preferential treatment in the roll-out of the vaccine. Barty was also among the tennis leaders calling for the Tour’s suspension in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, sitting out the 2020 WTA Tour rather than risking the health of her team by travelling all over the world. The world champion secured her first victory in Europe since her famous Roland Garros triumph, when she defeated Germany’s Laura Siegemund in her Porsche Tennis Grand Prix debut 21 months ago. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CN8TT4ih4Ij/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CN8TT4ih4Ij/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Ash Barty (@ashbarty)</a> </div> </blockquote> As successful as she is on the court, it is her off-court behaviour that has fans impressed. In the press conference, Barty revealed she eventually received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the Charleston Open in the United States earlier this month. Before she did, she checked with officials to ensure she was not taking away the opportunity from a member of the public. “We were looking at different avenues to try and get vaccinated without jumping the queue in Australia,” she said, according to Ben Rothenberg, tennis correspondent for the New York Times. “To see what our options were and we weren’t able to get much of an answer before we left in March.” “We were able to get the vaccine, as were a lot of other players, through the Tour and that they had organised through a certain pharmacy that had extras, and that was important to me knowing that those who were the most vulnerable were able to get it first,” she explained. On receiving the jab, she said, “It was nice to know that we have got that small layer of protection.” Sitting out Roland Garros last year due to the pandemic, the 24-year-old was succeeded by Poland’s Iga Swiatek as champion. Prior to the press conference, she triumphed against 33-year-old Siegemund by winning all 24 points when she got her first serve into play, then fending off a second-set surge to secure victory in 84 minutes. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CN-z6t8lBnH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CN-z6t8lBnH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Women’s Tennis Association (@wta)</a> </div> </blockquote> The win came as Barty’s first on European clay since defeating Marketa Vondrousova in June 2019, claiming her maiden grand slam singles title. “It was good to play on a new surface, the court was quite quick compared to what I am used to,” Barty said, having hit six aces in her opening display. Following her surprise loss to Spain’s Paula Badosa in Charleston that ended her eight-match winning streak, her most recent win was an important rebound. In the upcoming quarter-finals, Barty will play Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, another former Roland Garros winner, or the Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova, a former world number one. Barty retained her No. 1 WTA ranking earlier this month following her second consecutive Miami Open title. The 2021 French Open will commence on Monday, May 24.

Beauty & Style

100-year-old man charged with 3,518 murders in WWII

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> German prosecutors have charged a 100-year-old man with 3,518 counts of accessory to murder after allegations the man served during the second world war as a Nazi SS guard at a concentration camp. He is alleged to have worked at the Sachsenhausen camp between 1942 and 1945. The man's name has not been released in line with Germany privacy laws, but Cyrill Klement, the lead investigator, believes that the man was an enlisted member of the Nazi party's paramilitary wing. Despite being 100, the man is considered fit enough to stand trial, but accommodations may have to be made to limit how many hours a day the court is in session, according to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/09/man-100-charged-in-germany-over-3518-nazi-concentration-camp-murders" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>. “The advanced age of the defendants is no excuse to ignore them and allow them to live in the peace and tranquillity they denied their victims,” Efraim Zuroff of the Simon Wiesenthal Center said. The case was handed to the Neuruppin office in 2019 by the special federal prosecutors' office in Ludwigsburg, which is tasked with investigating Nazi-era war crimes. The case against the 100-year-old man relies on a recently set legal precedent in Germany that establishes anyone who helped a Nazi camp function can be prosecuted for accessory to the murders that were committed there. The court has not yet set a date for the trial. </div> </div> </div>

Legal

Elderly woman’s $10 million surprise for her neighbours

A senior German woman who passed away in late 2019 has shocked her community after it was revealed she bequeathed her entire $10 million stock and property portfolio to them. Renate Wedel died aged 81 in the Weiperfelden district of Waldsolms in Hesse, where she had lived since 1975 with her stockbroker husband, Alfred, who died in 2014 at 88. Following her death, the district was informed Wedel had left it and its six villages the couple’s bank balance, shares and valuables. Wedel’s sister was the original heir but she had sadly already passed. “I thought at first, this is simply not possible, I thought a comma had slipped, something is not quite right,” local mayor Bernd Heine said while speaking to local media outlet Hessenschau. The community plans to use the $10 million for community infrastructure and facilities. Heine said the community is considering spending it on a kindergarten, cycling paths and buildings. An outdoor pool and public transport is also being considered. “The community of Waldsolms posthumously thanks the Wedel couple for this important inheritance,” the community said. “We will deal with it very responsibly, develop our community for the good of all and keep an honourable memory of both.”

Money & Banking

Nine-month-old baby dead after shocking attack in Germany shopping street

A baby is among five people killed and over a dozen injured after a car drove into Christmas shoppers in the southwestern German city of Trier on Tuesday. Trier mayor Wolfram Leibe said the driver, a 51-year-old German man who was arrested by police, had gone “on a rampage”. Onlookers described seeing a pram “flying through the air” as the SUV ploughed into pedestrians at intense speed just after 1:30pm local time, leaving a trail of carnage for about a kilometre before coming to a halt. Mr Leibe revealed the driver had caused “several deaths and injuries”. Tearing up, Mr Leibe recalled the moment he discovered a child’s shoe on the street near the body of a young girl. “It’s a horror scene,” he said. “Many people are traumatised. I think this is Trier’s darkest day since World War II.” Police said the suspect’s car drove in a zig zag motion through the city centre in what seems to be a deliberate attack. The Range Rover stopped near the city’s old Roman gate and the suspect was arrested at the scene after being pinned to the ground by police. According to German police, four people were killed including a nine-month-old baby and a local woman, 73. The other victims include a 25-year-old woman from Trier and a man, 45, also from Trier. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839027/gettyimages-1229890963-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/573dc877f46340959ea2e2e75a8d3c75" /> The death toll is currently at five. Nine others have been left “seriously injured” with six wounded following the horrifying attack. The mother of the baby is one of those being treated in hospital. Police spokesman Uwe Konz told AFP it remained unclear what exactly had happened, saying “the background still needs to be clarified”. Police later said the man was drunk when he allegedly carried out the attack. “There are no indications of a politically motivated background,” police said in a statement. Local media has identified the man at Bernd W. who has previously been described as a “strange individual” who is “quick-tempered and sometimes aggressive” according to his neighbours. Due to German privacy laws, the alleged attackers full name cannot be published.

News

“Unbelievable and incomprehensible”: Mother accused of murdering her five children

A 27-year-old woman is currently under investigation after five of her children aged between 1 and 8, have died. The woman, residing in the western German city of Solingen, is reportedly severely injured after she climbed atop the tracks at a main train station in Dusseldorf. “We do not yet know exactly what happened when or why, only that it is a very tragic situation,” police spokesman Stefan Weiand has said. He says the mother is not currently in a fit enough state to be questioned, and is not releasing any details on the five children’s cause of death. The kids were three girls aged 1, 2 and 3 years and two boys aged 6 and 8. The woman’s 11-year-old son survived and is being placed with family members. The children’s grandmother, who lives about 60 kilometres from Solingen, notified the police shortly before 2 pm local time, after founding the bodies, officials have said. They found the deceased children in an apartment complex in Solingen’s Hasseldelle district - which is home to many large housing developments that date back to the 1970s. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837680/germany-children-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/afc739270fc3479090277da94a19520a" /> Candles and a stuffed animal are placed on a mailbox outside an apartment building where the five children were found dead. The 27-year-old mum’s whereabouts after the death of her children is still muddled, but it is believed she travelled to Dusseldorf main station with her 11-year-old son. At 1.47pm, she threw herself in front of a train. According to a fire department representative, the woman was found between two track beds and taken to hospital. The mayor of Solingen Tim Kurzbach says he has visited the house where the “terrible act” happened. “I lit a light for the five dead children and paused in prayer for the victims,” he wrote on Facebook. “It’s still unbelievable and incomprehensible to me. “For all of Solingen, today is a day of mourning.” Images: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

News

Madeleine McCann case leads to German police digging in back garden

German police are currently investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal in 2007 and have searched a garden plot in the city of Hannover in connection with their probe. Julia Meyer, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office in Braunschweig, confirmed to local media that police investigators had been at the garden plot since Monday. Meyer said she could not give any further details on the procedure, adding only that police would “still need some more time to finish.” At the time of writing, it is not clear what police believe might be at the site they are searching. Sniffer dogs, a tent with observation technology, an excavator as well as a large team of police have been spotted at the scene. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837107/maddy-body.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3705bfcb53964e92964ac0e7e10e0e23" /> It is understood that the investigation of the site will continue until Wednesday. Madeleine was three years old at the time of her 2007 disappearance from an apartment while her family vacationed in the town of Praia da Luz in Portugal. German authorities have since identified a 43-year-old German citizen as a suspect in the McCann case and are investigating him on suspicion of murder.

Legal

“I know he did it”: Best friend of Madeleine McCann suspect speaks out

A friend of the man suspected of abducting Madeleine McCann said he is sure the convicted sex offender was responsible for the young girl’s disappearance. Earlier this month, German police identified Christian Brückner as the prime suspect in McCann’s case and launched an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/03/german-prisoner-named-as-suspect-in-disappearance-of-madeleine-mccann">appeal for information</a>. Austrian drifter Michael Tatschl, who lived with Brückner in Portugal in the early 2000s, said he had told authorities that his “sick” and “perverted” friend was “more than capable of snatching a child”. “I know he did it,” Tatschl told the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/06/21/interviewchristian-bruckner-best-friend-sure-took-madeleine/">Telegraph</a>. “He was my best friend and he was definitely a pervert and more than capable of snatching a child, for sexual kicks or money. “I was sure it was him the minute the police came to find me in Austria.” Tatschl claimed Brückner bragged about making money by burgling apartments in Praia da Luz – where McCann was last seen – and once talked about “selling children maybe to Morocco”. In 2006, the pair spent eight months in the same prison after they were caught stealing diesel from lorries in Portugal, the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8445183/I-know-did-Christian-Brueckners-friend-says-German-guilty-taking-Madeline-McCann.html">Daily Mail</a> reported. They were released five months prior to McCann’s disappearance. Tatschl said he became convinced that Brückner was involved in McCann’s disappearance after watching the Netflix documentary The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann. “The part where the female tourist talked about the man turning up at her door while her child played by the front door, the creepy guy with acne and blonde hair. I just knew it was Christian for sure.” Tatschl gave his testimony in April 2019 after Austrian and German police officers visited his house. “They were very clear with me from the first minute. They said, ‘we are investigating Maddie McCann and Christian Brückner’ and I told them I knew it already. I was convinced it was him,” he said. “I really hope they can finally close this case for the family and find Christian guilty for what he has done. He needs to admit it to the police and close it for good.” Last week, Brückner’s lawyer Friedrich Fulscher said his client is <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/madeleine-mccann-missing-german-suspect-christian-bruckner-refuses-questions/69be3ad6-0917-462c-92d4-d901c0f99a4f">remaining silent on the matter</a>. “It is the duty of the state to prove that a suspect committed a crime. No accused person has to prove his innocence to the investigating authorities.” Brückner is currently serving a prison sentence in the northern German city of Kiel for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/05/madeleine-mccann-suspect-christian-bruckner-being-investigated-over-second-missing-girl">drug trafficking</a>. He was also convicted last year of the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.

Legal

Madeleine McCann’s parents respond to German prosecutor’s claim

Madeleine McCann’s parents have denied they received a letter from German authorities stating that their daughter is dead. In a statement released Tuesday on the Find Madeleine website, Kate and Gerry McCann said they have not received a letter regarding proof of their daughter’s death. “The widely reported news that we have a received a letter from the German authorities that states there is evidence or proof that Madeleine is dead is FALSE,” the parents said in the statement. “As we have stated many times before, we will not give a running commentary on the investigation – that is the job of the law enforcement agencies and we will support them in any way requested.” The statement came after German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told UK newspapers he had sent the family a letter explaining German authorities believed Madeleine was dead but could not reveal the evidence. Wolters said German police has “concrete evidence” that the missing British girl was murdered by Christian Brückner, a 43-year-old convicted sex offender. “We have concrete evidence that our suspect has killed Madeleine and this means she is dead,” Wolters was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. “I sympathise with the parents but if we reveal more details to them it might jeopardise the situation.” He insisted his team had sent a letter to the McCanns. “I’m not able to say whether the letter has reached the family or is still on the move,” Wolters told The Sun. Madeleine McCann disappeared from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007. She was three years old at the time of her disappearance.

Legal

New Madeleine McCann suspect allegedly tipped off by hotel worker

The latest man suspected of abducting three-year-old Madeleine McCann in 2007 was allegedly alerted to the empty hotel room by a worker at the hotel the family were staying at. Christian Brueckner, a 43-year-old convicted German sex offender, was allegedly told by an employee of the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz that the McCann parents would be out for dinner and their apartment would be easy to break into. A receptionist for the holiday complex left a note at the staff register about the family’s dinner reservation, which is something that Madeleine’s mother Kate remembered in horror a year after the horrific abduction. “It wasn’t until a year later, when I was combing through the Portuguese files, that I discovered that the note requesting our block booking was written in a staff message book, which sat on a desk at the pool reception for most of the day,” she wrote in her book titled Madeleine. “To my horror I saw that, no doubt in all innocence and to explain why she was bending the rules a bit, the receptionist had written the reason for our request. “We wanted to eat close to our apartments as we were leaving our young children alone there and checking on them intermittently.” A friend of Brueckner is suspected of seeing the note and letting him know about the unsupervised apartment. Police have since identified the employee who is believed to pass on the information, who also had Brueckner’s number in his mobile contacts. Brueckner received a half hour phone call in Praia da Luz around an hour before Madeleine went missing. It’s alleged that Brueckner went to raid the holiday accommodation and found Madeleine sleeping next to her younger brother, twins Sean and sister Amelie. Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in 2005 and also has criminal records for the distribution of child pornography, sexual abuse of children and violations of the Narcotics Act, according to German media. Hans Christian Wolters, a spokesman for the Braunschweig Public Prosecutor’s Office, told journalists “we are assuming that the girl is dead”. “In connection with the disappearance of the three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann on May 3, 2007 from an apartment complex in Praia da Luz, in Portugal, the Braunschweig prosecution is investigating against a 43-year-old German on suspicion of murder. “With the suspect, we are talking about a sexual predator who has already been convicted of crimes against little girls and he’s already serving a long sentence.” German authorities are now appealing for more information. “The hard evidence we don’t have, we don’t have the crucial evidence of Madeleine McCann’s body,” he told Sky News. “We expect that she is dead, but we don’t have enough evidence that we can get a warrant for our suspect in Germany for the murder of Madeleine McCann. “At the moment, we also don’t have enough proof for a trial at court, but we have some evidence that the suspect has done the deed. “That’s why we need more information from people, especially places he has lived, so we can target these places especially and search there for Madeleine.”

News

Zoo admit they will feed their animals to each other if things get worse amid coronavirus

Over the Easter weekend, zoos were expected to have been crowded however they have become desolate amid strict coronavirus lockdowns. A zoo director in northern Germany has revealed that some of their animals may have to soon be fed to others due to dried up funds. “We've listed the animals we'll have to slaughter first,” Verena Kaspari from Neumünster Zoo explained to German newspaper Die Welt. While Ms Kaspari said killing animals would be a desperate last resort, exotic animals have large appetites and leave wide dents in finances. “If it comes to it, I'll have to euthanise animals, rather than let them starve,” she said. “At the worst, we would have to feed some of the animals to others.” Neumünster is not covered for state emergency funding according to Ms Kapari who estimates the zoo’s projected loss of income will be about NZD$313,00 between the months of March and June. A number of zoos in Germany including Neumünster are asking for government aid worth NZD$178 million to just keep them afloat. The Association of Zoological Gardens says zoos are unique and unlike many other businesses as they cannot minimise costs during people-droughts like the one they are currently suffering under quarantine, as animals still have to be fed and cared for. Lost turnover in a standard German zoo is estimated to be around NZD$894,000 per week, says Jörg Junhold, Chief of the Association of Zoological Gardens.

Family & Pets

Why Germany’s coronavirus death rate is remarkably low

Germany is one of the countries most affected by the new coronavirus pandemic. As of March 31, it had the fifth-highest number of reported cases in the world, with more than 66,800 people being infected. However, only 645 people have died from the virus, giving a death rate of just under 1 per cent. It gives Germany one of the lowest rates in the world, faring better than other European countries such as Italy – where 11 per cent of infected people have died from COVID-19 – and France, which has a rate of 6.7 per cent. Experts said the most important factor contributing to Germany’s low death rate is the widespread testing across the country. While other countries only test very symptomatic cases, Germany “very rapidly rolled out testing to a very large number of people relative to the population”, said Dr Liam Smeeth, clinical epidemiology professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. According to <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-testing">Our World in Data</a>, Germany conducted 167,000 tests as of mid-March while France and Spain carried out 36,747 and 30,000 respectively. The testing helps detect milder coronavirus cases, bringing the total number up. “I believe that we are just testing much more than in other countries, and we are detecting our outbreak early,” Christian Drosten, director of the institute of virology at Berlin’s Charité hospital told <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/25/820595489/why-germanys-coronavirus-death-rate-is-far-lower-than-in-other-countries">NPR</a>. “We have a culture here in Germany that is actually not supporting a centralised diagnostic system, so Germany does not have a public health laboratory that would restrict other labs from doing the tests. So we had an open market from the beginning.” Germany also has <a href="https://gateway.euro.who.int/en/hfa-explorer/">the second-highest number of intensive care beds</a> per capita in Europe and 13.2 nurses per 1,000 people in the general population, higher than other heavily affected countries such as <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.NUMW.P3?end=2018&start=2018&view=map">France with 9.7 and Italy with 5.9</a>. “In general, we have a rather good intensive care situation in Germany,” German virologist Martin Stürmer told <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2020/3/27/21196246/coronavirus-germany-death-rate-covid-19-cases-italy-europe">Vox</a>. “We have highly specialized doctors and facilities, and maybe that’s part of the reason why our severely ill patients survive compared to those in other countries.”

International Travel

8 reasons to book a trip to Germany

Germany is a country like no other. Whether you’re trekking through the Black Forest, retracing the footsteps of history in Berlin, wandering through the halls of a romantic castle or simply sitting back and enjoying a stein and a plate of bratwurst, there’s no shortage of reasons why you’d want to make this the location for your next holiday. In case you need some more convincing (or are trying to get the idea over the line with your significant other) we’ve decided to put together a list containing eight reasons to visit Germany in 2018. To see them all, scroll through the gallery above. Have you ever been to Germany? Share your travel tips with us in the comments below.

International Travel

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Nine-month-old baby dead after shocking attack in Germany shopping street

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Madeleine McCann case leads to German police digging in back garden

“I know he did it”: Best friend of Madeleine McCann suspect speaks out

Madeleine McCann’s parents respond to German prosecutor’s claim

New Madeleine McCann suspect allegedly tipped off by hotel worker

Zoo admit they will feed their animals to each other if things get worse amid coronavirus

Why Germany’s coronavirus death rate is remarkably low

8 reasons to book a trip to Germany

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Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date

Search

State-run German museums disclose works acquired during Nazi era

World’s sixth largest cruise ship will never sail

Michael Schumacher’s family accused of lying about star’s condition

23 cities you learned about in school that no longer exist

Red Cross nurse accused of switching vaccines for salt solution

Pensioner charged over possession of World War II tank

Broadcaster apologises for offensive bungle

Germans turn to the woods for mindfulness

The single act that shows why Ash Barty is a next level champion

100-year-old man charged with 3,518 murders in WWII

Elderly woman’s $10 million surprise for her neighbours

Nine-month-old baby dead after shocking attack in Germany shopping street

“Unbelievable and incomprehensible”: Mother accused of murdering her five children

Madeleine McCann case leads to German police digging in back garden

“I know he did it”: Best friend of Madeleine McCann suspect speaks out

Madeleine McCann’s parents respond to German prosecutor’s claim

New Madeleine McCann suspect allegedly tipped off by hotel worker

Zoo admit they will feed their animals to each other if things get worse amid coronavirus

Why Germany’s coronavirus death rate is remarkably low

8 reasons to book a trip to Germany

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