Author: DW

An American man on Monday was sentenced to life in prison for committing rape, murder and attempted murder in an attack on two tourists near Neuschwanstein castle in Germany’s southeastern state of Bavaria. Presiding judge Christoph Schwiebacher said the offense was particularly serious and that the man would be unlikely to receive parole in 15 years, which is the earliest a life sentence can be suspended. The man admitted to the crimes during the start of the trial. Neuschwanstein Castle is one of Germany’s most visited sites, attracting around 1.5 million tourists a year. What do we know about the attack? The two female victims, who…

The decision to transfer Josef Fritzl – who kept his daughter captive for 24 years and raped her thousands of times – to a regular prison has been overturned by an Austrian court, local media reports.The Vienna Higher Regional Court (OLG) overturned the decision, made in January, to move the 88-year-old to a regular prison, news agency APA report.The initial ruling was made on the basis that Fritzl no longer posed a danger.Read more: Who is Josef Fritzl?It would have also likely paved the way for him to be released from prison into a nursing home.Ferdinand Schuster, spokesman for the…

German actress Sandra Hüller made waves at international film festivals after starring in two highly acclaimed films in 2023. She was also nominated for an Oscar in the best actress category for her role in Justine Triet’s crime thriller “Anatomy of a Fall,” which on Sunday night won the Oscar for best original screenplay, while another film she starred in, Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama “The Zone of Interest,” has won the Academy Award for best international feature. This is only the third time a German actress has been nominated for an Academy Award for best actress. Previous nominees are Luise Rainer, who won best actress two…

The European Environmental Agency (EEA) warned on Monday that Europe could suffer “catastrophic” consequences of  climate change if it fails to take urgent action. In its first Europe-wide analysis of climate-related risks, the EEA listed 36 threats related to climate in Europe, 21 of which demand immediate action, while eight wer described as “particularly urgent.” The dangers include fires, water shortages and their effects on agricultural production, while low-lying coastal regions face threats of flooding, erosion and saltwater intrusion, the report said. Why should Europe worry? Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global rate, the EEA said. Even if…

An official photo of Catherine, Britain’s Princess of Wales, that the Kensington Palace released on Sunday has been retracted by several news organizations due to alterations that failed to meet editorial standards. The photo was the first official image of the princess since her abdominal surgery nearly two months ago. Its release came amid intense online speculation about her well-being. The image shows a smiling Kate surrounded by her three children, Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte. The photo was supposedly taken by Prince William, the heir to the British throne. A number of news agencies, including Getty, Reuters, The Associated Press, and Agence France-Presse, later…

Israel has unveiled its new entry for the Eurovision Song Contest after its original track was criticised for lyrics that were thought to reference the Hamas attacks on 7 October.The new song, titled Hurricane, will be performed by singer Eden Golan during the international song competition in Malmo, Sweden, in May. Israel agreed to change the original song, which was titled October Rain, when organisers said they would disqualify contestants who did not maintain the non-political spirit of the event.The lyrics of October Rain included “there’s no air left to breathe” and “they were all good children, each one of…

Historical drama “Oppenheimer” was a big winner at Sunday’s Oscars gala in Hollywood, taking home seven awards, including best picture, best director and best actor. The start of the gala, hosted for the fourth time by Jimmy Kimmel, was delayed by five minutes as pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the awards ceremony. Christopher Nolan won the Academy Award for best director for his film “Oppenheimer.” The 53-year-old British director had never won an Oscar before.  Cillian Murphy also earned his first Academy Award for his performance in “Oppenheimer” as the the physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb in World War II.Cillian Murphy won Best ActorImage: Patrick…

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war has driven new arms purchasing in Europe in dramatic fashion, with US manufacturers being the main beneficiaries, according to a new study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). From 2019 to 2023, the worldwide trade in weapons declined by 3.3% overall from the 2014-18 figures, but the amount of arms imported by European countries in that period doubled compared with the previous five years. At 55%, the lion’s share of arms sales to European countries came from the United States. This was up 20 percentage points from the previous period. US’s…

The United States has airlifted non-essential embassy personnel from Haiti, the US military said on Sunday. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said later in the day that the German ambassador and EU diplomatic staff had also left the country “as a result of the very tense security situation in Haiti.” They had relocated to the Dominican Republic and would work from there until further notice, he said.  It comes as violent gangs have overrun the country threatening to bring down the government. What the US military said about the airlift “This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is…

Rescuers are searching for six skiers who have gone missing amid difficult weather conditions in the Swiss Alps.The cross-country skiers – five of whom are members of the same family – had set off on a ski tour from the Alpine town of Zermatt, Switzerland. They went missing around Tête Blanche mountain on Saturday, on the Zermatt-Arolla path near the Matterhorn mountain that straddles the Switzerland-Italy border, police said.The authorities added that a storm “raging in the south of the Alps and the risk of avalanches has prevented helicopters and rescuers from approaching the area”.The missing skiers are between the…