Berlin- Teenagers killed by train while on tracks spraying graffiti

Published: 04 Oct 2016 15:34 GMT+02:00

Updated: 04 Oct 2016 15:34 GMT+02:00

Two young men, 18 and 19, were run over and killed by a train around midnight Sunday night in Berlin.

Police reported on Monday that the accident occurred on the S1 line between the stations Wittenau and Wilhelmsruh.

 

Police believe the two were on a section of the S-Bahn rails on a bridge when a train heading in the direction of Wannsee drove through and rolled over them.

 

The train driver told police that he heard a rumbling sound, and then stopped the train. He then found the two young men, already dead, after he got out of the train to figure out what had caused the noise.

 

Fresh graffiti was found in the area of the bridge where the teens had been, as well as several cans of paint and a backpack containing other graffiti paraphernalia.

 

According to Tagesspiegel, the victims were from Berlin and were already known to police as graffiti painters, as well as for other crimes.

 

A police helicopter was called to the spot in order to light up the scene while the bodies of the two were removed by the fire services.

 

The train was able to travel on from the scene of the incident after two hours. However, the 50 passengers on board the S1 train had to remain inside the carriage for the two hours while the bodies were being removed because it was too risky to have them exit out of the train and across the tracks in the dark.

Joe's Crime Blog/Human Right's Site: Missing Swiss cat turns up 600km away in Germany

Joe's Crime Blog/Human Right's Site: Missing Swiss cat turns up 600km away in Germany: Published: 30 Sep 2016 12:28 GMT+02:00 A family's much-loved cat who went missing from her home in the north-eastern Swiss city of...

Joe's Crime Blog/Human Right's Site: Loyal dog mounts vigil at hospital doors for sick ...

Joe's Crime Blog/Human Right's Site: Loyal dog mounts vigil at hospital doors for sick ...: Published: 05 Sep 2016 10:58 GMT+02:00 Maya was finally reunited with her owner after waiting patiently for six days at the doors of a...

Missing Swiss cat turns up 600km away in Germany

Published: 30 Sep 2016 12:28 GMT+02:00

A family's much-loved cat who went missing from her home in the north-eastern Swiss city of St Gallen more than a year ago has been found 600 kilometres away in Bonn, Germany.

According to daily 20 Minuten, the 15-year-old moggy, called Sissi, disappeared from her home at the end of August 2015.

The cat’s distressed family looked everywhere for Sissi – who is deaf – but, as winter approached, finally gave up hope.

“It was very difficult for us. Tears flowed,” owner Julika Fitzi told the paper.

So she was amazed when she was contacted by a cat refuge in Bonn to say they had found Sissi in the German city and identified her by her microchip.

Refuge worker Susanne Wanniger told Germany’s Express paper on Thursday that the cat was found by a resident in the city centre of Bonn in a dire state – covered in fleas and very thin.

While no one knows how Sissi managed to travel the 600km to Bonn, Fitzi thinks she probably got into a vehicle by mistake and was accidentally driven there.

It takes around six hours to drive between the two cities.

Loyal dog mounts vigil at hospital doors for sick owner

Published: 05 Sep 2016 10:58 GMT+02:00

Maya was finally reunited with her owner after waiting patiently for six days at the doors of a hospital in Alicante.

Sandra Iniesta, 22, was discharged from Elda hospital near Alicante on Saturday where she rushed a week earlier after suffering a ruptured appendix.

Waiting loyally for her at the door of the hospital was Maya, a two-year-old Akita Inu, who had steadfastedly refused to leave her vigil while her owner was recovering.

Even when her owner’s father attempted to pull her away tempting her into the car with offers of treats, the dog refused to budge.

“She knows what is happening and she is showing that she can be patient,” he explained to local Alicante newspaper Información of Maya, whose Japanese breed is famous for its loyalty.

She quickly became a favourite with hospital staff who posted a photograph of Maya on their facebook page and the story soon went viral on social media.

Iniesta emerged from the hospital on Saturday to discover her beloved dog had become a celebrity.

“She just did what she does at home in Barcelona which is wait at the door of a place until I return,” explained Iniesta.

"After days of not seeing my girl Maya, the kiss and happiness at seeing me and me her is priceless," she wrote on Twitter

Iran - U.S female Chess Master faces arrest (refuses to wear hijab )

This is what standing up for women’s rights looks like.

Iran is set to host the world chess championship, but now the U.S. women’s champion and others are accusing chess tournament officials of not standing up for women’s rights because it has allowed Iran to rule that all female contestants must wear the oppressive Muslim headscarf during their stay in the Muslim country.

Worse, Iran has said that female chess grandmasters who refuse to wear the hijab while in Iran will face arrest!

Wearing the headscarves has been strictly enforced by the “morality police” since 1979.  Refusal to do so can result in public reprimands, arrests or fines, the Mail reported.

Fide, the nickname of the World Chess Federation, is now being accused of bowing to pressure from the terrorist exporting nation and not standing up for its female players.

In particular, the U.S. women’s champion, Nazi Paikidze, is attacking Fide as weak-willed.

 

“It is absolutely unacceptable to host one of the most important women’s tournaments in a venue where, to this day, women are forced to cover up with a hijab,” Paikidze said according to the Daily Mail.

“I understand and respect cultural differences,” she added. “But, failing to comply can lead to imprisonment and women’s rights are being severely restricted in general. It does not feel safe for women from around the world to play here.”

“If the situation remains unchanged, I will most certainly not participate in this event,” the U.S. female champ concluded.

U.S. Women’s Champion Nazi Paikidze

Paikidz isn’t the only chess champ from the west who is balking at Iran’s demands. Former Pan American champion Carla Heredia, from Ecuador, also criticized the tournament.

“No institution, no government, nor a Women’s World Chess Championship should force women to wear or to take out a hijab,” Heredia said. She then added, “This violates all what sports means. Sport should be free of discrimination by sex, religion and sexual orientation.”

Others agreed and a group of the female champions have demanded that Fide address the issue. So far, though, the chess organization has timidly refused to even comment and there has yet been no action on the accusations against it.

 

Iran - 16 years in prison for Human Rights activist

Iran: Amnesty International react to “shameful” 16-year-sentence for human rights defender Narges Mohammadi

 Thursday, 29 September 2016 22:05

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NCRI - Amnesty International havehighlighted the recent news that the 16-year prison sentence against Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi, who is critically ill, has been upheld by the Iranian regime’s appeal court.

Their Research and Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Philip Luther, said: “This verdict is yet another cruel and devastating blow to human rights in Iran, which demonstrates the authorities’ utter contempt for justice. Narges Mohammadi is a prominent advocate of human rights and a prisoner of conscience. She should be lauded for her courage not locked in a prison cell for 16 years.” 

He added that it is “harsh” and “appalling” that this sentence has been given for human rights work that has been carried out peacefully. He said it is clear that the authorities have “laid bare their intent to silence human rights defenders at all costs”. 

Luther said that this sentence is even more shocking because it comes at a time when Iran’s regime is preparing for renewed bilateral dialogue with the EU, and “given that Narges Mohammadi was convicted for her work campaigning against the death penalty and meeting with the former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs”. He said that this sentencing raises many doubts about Tehran’s commitment to dealing with the EU over human rights issues. 

“Narges Mohammadi’s conviction and sentence must be quashed and the authorities must order her immediate and unconditional release. We urge the EU to make these calls, too, and put the heightened repression of human rights defenders in Iran at the heart of their dialogue.”