An apartment in house

Back in 2014, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians from the US state of Michigan sent a letter of complaint to the Karl May Museum in the eastern German state of Saxony. A US visitor to the museum had alerted the tribe to an item on display there: a human scalp. The museum, which is dedicated to the works of legendary German "Wild West" writer Karl May , initially refused to return it , saying the staff could not ascertain its origins. "This individual was taken without the authority to do so and placed in a museum to be shown like a picture on the wall," stated a 2015 report from the tribe, which set in motion a series of changes: a specially commissioned study, a new ethnographic specialist at the museum and mediation by the US State Department, which is now the custodian of the human remains on behalf of the Chippewa Indians. Native American exhibits feature at the museum on account of May's Winnetou books On Monday, the museum returned the human … [Read more...] about Karl May Museum returns Native American human scalp

SAY it quietly for now, but it looks like good times might just be here again. I’m not only referring to the fact that we can finally go down to the pub again. * Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest updates Though that’s no small thing. There are other signs that suggest life might be about to get back to normal. Or even better. The vaccine rollout in the UK has been an unbelievable success, with Britain leading almost every country in the world in vaccinating the public. The number of deaths caused by Covid-19 is the lowest since last year. And as the economy begins to get going again there are green shoots in our country, small for now, but growing. Figures released yesterday by the Office for National Statistics show that output in our country grew 0.4 per cent in February compared with the month before. Trade is used to adapting Although there was a drop in exports in January when new Brexit border controls came into effect, a month later … [Read more...] about As pubs, shops and salons open – forget business as usual, make it better than usual

BERNIE Madoff, the fraudster behind the largest Ponzi scheme in history, has died in prison. Madoff passed away at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, North Carolina , apparently from natural causes, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Last year, Madoff’s lawyers filed court papers to try to get the 82-year-old released from prison in the Covid pandemic, saying he had suffered from end-stage renal disease and other chronic medical conditions. The request was denied. Madoff admitted swindling thousands of clients out of billions of dollars in investments over decades. A court-appointed trustee has recovered more than $13billion of an estimated $17.5billion that investors put into Madoff’s business. At the time of his arrest, fake account statements were telling clients they had holdings worth $60billion. For decades, Madoff enjoyed an image as a self-made financial guru whose Midas touch defied market fluctuations. A former chairman … [Read more...] about Bernie Madoff dead: Fraudster behind largest Ponzi scheme in history dies in prison at 82

HEROIC police officers caught a rape victim who was forced to jump 30ft from a window to escape her two sex attackers. The 18-year-old had been beaten and raped by the two men aged 37 and 26 whilst a female accomplice, 19, took part in the sexual attacks. Police said the terrified woman had climbed onto the third floor ledge of a block of flats in Barnaul city in Altai region of Russia to get away from the vile attackers. She clung to the building and the two police officers Sergeant Oleg Korobkin and Warrant Officer Alexander Bedushev desperately tried to persuade her not to jump, and wait for rescuers. They were aided by police cadet Olga Bebko who was passing the scene on her way to her classes. The police are heard shouting to the panic-stricken: “Quiet, quiet. Take it easy.  Do not jump.” They encouraged her to sit down. A video shows how despite their efforts the woman suddenly jumped, but the male officers managed to break her fall, saving her life and … [Read more...] about Hero cops catch distraught rape victim who jumped 30ft from window to escape two sex attackers

THEY are one of Britain’s best-loved groups – and now it has emerged the name Madness sums up the band members’ chaotic lives before they found fame in the early Eighties. Thanks to a string of hits, including Baggy Trousers and One Step Beyond, the Nutty Boys were saved from a life of crime. Frontman Suggs had been arrested for affray in his teens and admitted they could have been jailbirds if they had not become chart-toppers. The singer — real name Graham McPherson ­— originally chose Suggs as a graffiti nickname which he daubed all over North London. Now 60, he reveals in a new ­documentary: “Being in the band was like an extension of being in a gang — apart from the fact it wasn’t just us smashing up phone boxes and kicking traffic cones down the road together. “It was at a crossroads. A lot of those people we knew at that time did get into serious crime. “We were all a little bit involved in that sort of thing and graffiti was the first thing. Music was a … [Read more...] about Madness reveal their wild pasts and how the band saved them from a life of crime