Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg: Red pandas were born in the Karlsruhe Zoo for the first time. According to information from Friday, the young animals are a female and a male. They don’t have names yet. The duo have now been taken out of their cave for a first vet check, a spokesman said. The father of the offspring born on June 25th is called Terai, the mother Akuti.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the species Ailurus fulgens, also known as the western small panda, as critically endangered. According to the organization WWF, there are an estimated fewer than 10,000 copies left. The species lives in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Myanmar. Red pandas can measure well over a meter from head to tail. They ate mostly leaves and unripe fruit.
According to WWF information, their Chinese name Hun-ho means “fire fox” in German and refers to the predominantly shiny red color of the animals’ fur. The Western Lesser Panda and Styan’s Lesser Panda (Ailurus styani) are considered the only representatives of the so-called pandas.
Sources: DPA
Hemer, Märkischer Kreis: In a room fire in a clinic in Hemer, five people were seriously injured and 23 people were slightly injured. According to the police, a fire broke out in a patient’s room on Friday night. The five seriously injured suffered smoke inhalation, but according to the first findings no burns. The culprit is believed to be among them. How exactly the fire started was initially unclear. The police have taken over the investigation into the cause of the fire.
Among the injured are not only patients but also staff. The fire on the first floor of the clinic was quickly extinguished and the hospital staff quickly began evacuating the rooms, a police spokeswoman said. Several patients had to be transferred because some rooms are currently uninhabitable due to smoke emissions.
Cottbus: A 26-year-old fell in a Brandenburg train station when a train drove onto the tracks and died. As the police in Cottbus announced on Thursday, the accident happened on Wednesday afternoon in Doberlug-Kirchhain. The man had leaned forward when a regional express entered the local train station “for no apparent reason” and fell on the tracks.
The train driver initiated emergency braking, but could no longer prevent a collision; the 26-year-old suffered fatal injuries. The ten occupants of the train were unharmed when braking, the train driver was taken off duty and given medical care. The police have so far ruled out any third-party interference, but nevertheless initiated an investigation. Rail traffic was reopened after several hours of closure.
Sources: AFP
Langenhennersdorf, Saxony: A ten-year-old girl fell three meters while hiking through the rocks of the Langenhennersdorf labyrinth near Bad Gottleuba-Berggiesshübel in Saxon Switzerland and was seriously injured. The German Red Cross (DRK) announced on Thursday that there was a suspicion of a craniocerebral trauma.
In addition, the girl injured her pelvis and kidneys. The child was rescued with a winch and brought to a clinic in Dresden by rescue workers in a helicopter. First, the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) reported.
No further information was available on the exact course of the accident on Wednesday. In addition, it was not clear whether the girl hiked alone or accompanied.
Source: DPA
Viersen, North Rhine-Westphalia: A blind sheep was kidnapped in a shopping bag from a pasture on the Lower Rhine. According to the police on Thursday, the crime happened last Saturday in Viersen. A witness reported the sheep being stolen by a woman. She had therefore lifted the blind animal over the pasture fence and put it in her pocket.
A patrol car crew was able to stop the woman and free the frightened animal. “It recovered quickly from the unexpected adventure,” officials said. An alcohol and drug test carried out on the perpetrator was positive. Since she had announced that she would steal more sheep from the pasture and then slaughter them, she was temporarily taken into custody.
Source: DPA
Nuremberg, Bavaria: A man with an airsoft gun, knife and protective vest triggered a police operation in Nuremberg. Witnesses reported that the man was armed in the city center, the police said on Thursday. When the police met the 21-year-old on Wednesday, they asked him at gunpoint to lie on the ground, tied the man up and arrested him.
It was initially unclear why the man was traveling with the airsoft gun. He was released after police action was completed. He is being investigated for violating the Weapons Act.
Source: DPA
Eppingen, Baden-Württemberg: Without noticing it, a bus driver in Eppingen (Heilbronn district) is said to have hit a pedestrian and seriously injured him. A 60-year-old ran into the vehicle shortly after the bus left a stop, the police said on Thursday.
Pedestrians stopped the unsuspecting bus driver and drew attention to the accident. The seriously injured man had to be taken to a hospital after the accident on Wednesday.
Source: DPA
Rostock, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: A driver from Brandenburg drove almost 300 kilometers drunk to the Baltic Sea – but fell asleep shortly before the destination and was caught. The 38-year-old from the Dahme-Spreewald district was noticed by witnesses on Tuesday evening in the Torfbrücke district of Rostock because his car was driving in wavy lines, as a police spokeswoman said on Thursday. Shortly thereafter, the car was in the bay of a bus stop.
There, first witnesses who suspected a health problem, and then the alarmed officials found the driver sound asleep behind the wheel – the car’s engine was still running.
A breath alcohol test later revealed 2.6 per thousand. The man had to give up his driver’s license. According to his own statements, the 38-year-old wanted to go to the Baltic Sea resort of Graal-Müritz, the neighboring town, to vacation there. The police are now also checking whether the driver has caused further damage on the way.
Source: DPA
Altenstadt, Bavaria: In Upper Bavaria, a man shot with a gas pressure gun at police officers who had surrounded his parents’ house. The officers then fired a warning shot themselves, among other things, the police said on Wednesday. During the operation in Altenstadt (Weilheim-Schongau district), which lasted from Tuesday evening to early Wednesday morning, and the arrest, two special police forces and the suspect were slightly injured.
A police dog also suffered gunshot wounds, officials said. The man was taken to a special clinic because of evidence of a mental state of emergency. A police spokesman declined to provide details of the suspect on Wednesday.
The police had been alerted because the man was rioting in his parents’ house. The man later stepped outside the door and shot the officers several times. Apart from the suspect, no one was in the house at the time.
When special forces arrested the man in the building a few hours later, the suspect reportedly shot the officers several dozen times with the fully automatic gas gun. Two police officers were slightly injured in the face and upper arm.
Source: DPA
Cottbus, Saxony: A serious traffic accident in Cottbus with seven injured caused a large number of fire brigades, paramedics and the police. According to the police on Wednesday, a 60-year-old drove through a red traffic light in the Schmellwitz district on Tuesday. The woman then got into oncoming traffic, touched four cars, then crashed into a vehicle driving in front of her and finally came to a stop on a tram track. First, the “Lausitzer Rundschau” reported.
A person was trapped in his vehicle as a result of the accident and had to be freed by the fire brigade. He was seriously injured and taken to the hospital by rescue helicopter. Four other injured were taken to the hospital by rescue workers. Two people were able to leave the scene of the accident after treatment by paramedics on site.
Source: DPA
Schulzendorf, Brandenburg: A 58-year-old man is said to have killed his wife in Schulzendorf in the Dahme-Spreewald district. According to police, the man reported to a neighbor on Wednesday to report himself. Called emergency services found the 48-year-old lifeless in the couple’s home. The accused allowed himself to be arrested without resistance. Forensic technicians secured evidence at the scene. The Cottbus public prosecutor’s office has taken over the investigation into the accusation of homicide together with the murder commission of the southern police department.
Source: DPA
Hockenheim, Baden-Württemberg: A 74-year-old man from the Rhein-Neckar district transferred several thousand euros to a fraudster who had pretended to be an Arab prince. The unknown perpetrator asked the 74-year-old online for money because he allegedly could not pay the customs duties for his state car, the police said. The two texted back and forth for several weeks. When the fraudster broke off contact after the transfer, the man from Hockenheim reported the incident to the police on Tuesday.
Source: DPA
Neustadt-Glewe, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: A pensioner on an e-bike was on the Autobahn 24 Berlin-Hamburg near Neustadt-Glewe (Ludwigslust-Parchim) and was caught by the police. The 84-year-old had probably lost his bearings on Tuesday afternoon and was driving on the hard shoulder of the Autobahn towards Hamburg, a police spokesman said on Wednesday. The senior was spotted by a police checkpoint that happened to be set up on the other side of the road.
The police broke off the traffic control and rushed after the cyclist. During the survey, it became clear that the man came from the region, had obviously lost his bearings and mistakenly drove onto the A24. The pensioner was loaded into the patrol car with his e-bike and taken home.
Source: DPA
Miltenberg, Bavaria: Due to serious deficiencies in animal welfare, the Miltenberg district office has banned a slaughterhouse in the district from operating with immediate effect. Video material from an animal rights organization had previously been sent to the authority, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. First, the “Main Echo” had reported.
The material would have resulted in concrete indications of sometimes serious animal welfare violations when unloading the animals intended for slaughter and during stunning. The public prosecutor’s office then searched the company on Tuesday. The spokeswoman said that it was found that sick animals that could not be transported had been delivered. According to the information, the implementation of the operational hygiene concept was also inadequate.
Source: DPA
Berggiesshübel, Saxony: The federal police discovered a total of 22 people in a refrigerated truck in Saxony who were to be smuggled to Germany. The two alleged smugglers had been arrested for the time being, the federal police said on Wednesday at the Berggiesshübel site. The smuggling was life-threatening.
The van had come from the nearby Czech Republic and was driving on Autobahn 17, where the Federal Police checked. When the driver opened the tailgate, the people on the loading area were relieved that air was getting back into the car, it said. Six were minors among the 22 people smuggled.
Source: DPA
Sankt Augustin, North Rhine-Westphalia: In a car accident in Sankt Augustin, a shrine was so badly damaged that it was demolished a little later. A car left the roadway on Tuesday evening for reasons that are still unclear and crashed into the relatively new building, which is about two meters high and one and a half meters wide, said a police spokesman on Wednesday morning. In the car were two 37-year-old men who were taken to the hospital with serious injuries. For the brick monument, on the other hand, any help came too late: it was removed during the night because of the danger of collapsing. The “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” had previously reported.
Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Unknown persons stole a sports boat costing around 35,000 euros in a port north of Greifswald. The motorboat, about five meters long, was in the port of Gristow (West Pomerania-Greifswald) and was last seen on Monday morning, as a spokesman for the water police said on Wednesday. It was reported stolen around noon on Tuesday. The boat is designed for five people, weighs around 600 kilograms and has an outboard motor with around 90 hp. Gristow is located on the Greifswalder Bodden and skippers have direct access to the Baltic Sea.
Source: DPA
Upper Palatinate, Bavaria: A US soldier in a tank died after a collision with a truck in Upper Palatinate from severe head injuries because she looked out of the roof hatch while driving. The soldiers wanted to drive onto Autobahn 93 in a convoy of wheeled armored vehicles at the Weiden-West junction, while a truck driver was also driving in the right lane. Although the 57-year-old from the Schweinfurt district was still trying to change to the left lane, the two vehicles touched sideways, as the traffic police announced on Tuesday.
“According to previous knowledge, the roof hatch hit the side of the head of the 24-year-old US soldier. She was injured so badly that she died a little later in a nearby hospital,” the officials said. After the accident on Tuesday afternoon, the A93 was closed for several hours in the direction of Hof.
Source: DPA
Wesel, North Rhine-Westphalia: Two cars collided head-on on the B8 in Wesel in the area of the new bypass. When the rescue workers arrived, only the death of a 75-year-old man could be determined. For reasons that have not yet been clarified, the pensioner left the road and collided head-on with the car of a 61-year-old. The 75-year-old was fatally injured in the impact and succumbed to his injuries at the scene of the accident. The 61-year-old and his three passengers were seriously injured in the accident. They have been taken to nearby hospitals. The B8 is completely closed for the duration of the accident recording. Traffic is being diverted by the police.
Source: Wesel district police authority
Heiden, North Rhine-Westphalia: Once again, a 57-year-old woman discovered that her daughter’s grave had been stolen. After cut flowers had been stolen and property damaged in the past, unknown perpetrators have now torn out and stolen 30 ground cover plants. The police are looking for witnesses.
Source: Borken district police authority
Hamburg: With a memorial for sexual and gender diversity, Hamburg wants to set an example for respect and recognition in the middle of the city. The Senate decision to set up this place at the corner of Neuer Jungfernstieg and Lombardsbrücke is also a clear sign of equal rights for everyone during Pride Week, said Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda (SPD) on Tuesday. “But we also want to remind you that the LGBTIQ* scene was suppressed here for a long time and still has to experience discrimination in everyday life.”
The place should offer space for meeting and dealing with the past, present and future. “It should manifest the striving for equality, acceptance and mutual respect in the present and the memory of past injustice and persecution should become visible,” said Brosda.
The citizenship is expected to decide on the establishment of the memorial in autumn. An artistic competition for the design will then be announced. In total, more than 400,000 euros are available for the realization of the project.
Vellmar, Kassel district, Hesse: On Monday evening there was a fight between two families who were apparently at odds. Several emergency calls were received by the police, who found 15 adults arguing loudly at a playground in Vellmar. This was preceded by a physical argument: Two men were injured in the face. During the subsequent police questioning, the situation threatened to escalate again. Another man suddenly punched one of the already injured in the face. When officers arrested the attacker, a woman attacked. She too had to be restrained by a police officer, who also hit the officer in the head several times. According to the police, the trigger for the fight was a dispute between children on the playground. They had called their fathers, who then fought. In the further course, numerous members of the two families came to the playground and took part in the argument.
Sources: Police Headquarters North Hesse – Kassel
Kempten, Bavaria: A 31-year-old woman and two small children were seriously injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer combination in the Allgäu. According to the police, a tractor and a trailer loaded with hay slipped on Monday afternoon in the curve area of a road in Kempten for an initially unknown reason and overturned. The driver and her sons, three and five years old, who were on the tractor, were seriously injured and taken to the hospital. The scene of the accident was closed for around four hours. The police are now investigating how the accident happened.
Source: DPA
Ballenstedt, Saxony-Anhalt: In Ballenstedt in the Harz district, the “100 the Challenge” motocross festival, which took place over the weekend, got out of control at times. As the MDR reports, the fire brigade had to turn out 12 times, and the rescue service even 18 times. When asked by MDR, the fire brigade said that rubbish, cars and various other vehicles were on fire. The police are now investigating because of an assault and a fire.
On social media, visitors complained about the poor organization of the festival. The organizer draws the appropriate conclusions: the event will no longer take place in this form.
Ostbevern, North Rhine-Westphalia: A building fire broke out on Wagenbauerstrasse in Ostbevern. As the “Westfälische Nachrichten” informs, the cloud of smoke moves in the direction of Eichendorffsiedlung. The residents should close windows and doors – ventilation and air conditioning should also be switched off. A warning was also sent via the warning app NINA.
Heuchelheim, Hesse: The drinking water in Heuchelheim in central Hesse is contaminated with bacteria and should therefore be boiled. The Gießen district announced on Monday that enterococci and coliform bacteria had been detected. Only the town of Heuchelheim is affected, not the wider area of the municipality.
Before drinking, using it for cooking, brushing your teeth or cleaning open wounds, the water should boil up to a bubbly boil and then cool down for at least ten minutes. For other purposes, such as showering, there are no restrictions.
Stadtwerke Gießen will disinfect the pipeline network with chlorine in coordination with the health department. According to the announcement, the boiling recommendation applies “until further notice”.
Source: DPA
Gerolfingen, Bavaria: When parking out, a driver ran over a man who was behind her car. The 24-year-old waited for her friends late on Sunday evening in her car in a parking lot in a meadow park area in Gerolfingen (Ansbach district) created for the fire brigade festival, the police said.
When nobody came after half an hour, she reversed her car out of the parking space – and suddenly noticed a resistance. As she got out, she saw two legs sticking out from behind the back of her vehicle. Rescue workers rescued the trapped 29-year-old and took care of him. He suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
The heavily intoxicated man had probably lain down behind her car to sleep, unnoticed by the woman, as the police further announced. An expert was called in to clarify the exact course of the accident.
Source: DPA
Briesen, Brandenburg: Federal police officers discovered 13 people who had entered the country illegally in Briesen (Oder-Spree) – two suspected smugglers were able to escape. According to a witness, the men were dropped off by two vans in the community not far from Frankfurt (Oder) on Saturday evening. The emergency services then checked three groups of people who had set off on foot after being transported. The federal police said on Monday that they were Indian nationals between the ages of 19 and 36 who did not have a residence permit.
The forces took the men into custody. Investigations into suspicion of illegal entry and illegal stay have been initiated. The people seeking protection were then taken to the central initial reception facility in Eisenhüttenstadt.
Source: DPA
Waren, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Hundreds of swimming enthusiasts will again start at the traditional Müritz Swim this Saturday in Waren. So far there have been 760 registrations from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, as a spokesman for the organization team said on Monday. The youngest starter was twelve, the oldest swimmers over 80 years old. It is the 54th edition of the swimming event in the Mecklenburg Lake District.
Around 600 women and men will swim on the classic route – 1950 meters above the Binnenmüritz. The best ones usually need between 25 and 30 minutes for this. Here in 2022, 18-year-old Anton Rauch from Potsdam narrowly won in 22 minutes and 31.95 seconds. About 150 starters were registered for twice the distance – ie 3.8 kilometers there and back via the Binnenmüritz. In this “Müritzman 3.8” competition last year, a woman, 25-year-old Sarah Strack from Greifswald, was the fastest of all the starters.
Source: DPA
Bad Rappenau, Baden-Württemberg: A gas bottle that burst into flames while barbecuing set a detached house in the Heilbronn district on fire. In the emergency on Sunday afternoon in Bad Rappenau, one person was slightly injured, the police said. All other residents were able to leave the three-story house unharmed.
In the course of the extinguishing work, the roof of the house had to be covered over a large area, it said. According to the fire brigade, there was no danger to surrounding houses, it said.
According to the police, the fire brigade was on site with eight vehicles and 45 emergency services, the rescue service with five vehicles and seven rescuers. According to the information, the single-family house is no longer habitable. The police estimate the damage at around 250,000 euros.
Source: DPA
Tegernsee, Bavaria: Before the eyes of motorcycle police officers, a racing cyclist ignored two red traffic lights in Tegernsee – and then tried to flee from the officers. However, he failed, as the motorway police station Holzkirchen announced. The 19-year-old vacationer did not show any remorse. He said that he had already covered 200 kilometers and now only wanted to go back to the hotel. “Of course, this is not a justification for his behavior. He can now expect a fine of around 430 euros,” it said.
According to the information, the cyclist continued his journey on Sunday afternoon on the main road in Tegernsee, although a traffic light had been red for four seconds. A family just wanted to cross the road. According to the police, the next traffic light was red for six seconds. Nevertheless, the cyclist drove through this intersection. A car from crossing traffic had to brake to avoid a collision with the cyclist.
Source: DPA
Altenburger Land, Thuringia: According to the police, a man died after a dive in Haselbacher See in Altenburger Land. The man came to the surface of the water and ashore on Sunday. However, any help there was too late for him, said a police spokesman on request.
The police could not give any information about the circumstances and the age of the man. The police have taken over the investigation. The Haselbacher See on the state border with Saxony is a popular bathing lake. It is a residual open pit hole with a maximum depth of 30 meters.
Source: DPA
Erfurt, Thuringia: A drunk driver got stuck in a track bed of the Erfurt tram on Sunday evening. The 30-year-old man left the road in the north of Erfurt and landed on the tracks with his car, the police said. Since it was no longer possible to continue driving, the car had to be recovered by a towing crane. According to the information, a first alcohol test showed a value of 1.9 per mille. Since a rail replacement service is currently set up on the affected tracks, tram traffic was not affected. However, there was material damage to the rails, which now has to be repaired.
Source: DPA
Schaumburg, Lower Saxony: In a frontal collision between two cars in the district of Schaumburg, eight people were injured, some seriously. Among the injured were three children and two pregnant women, police said on Sunday. Accordingly, a 60-year-old driver got into the oncoming lane on Sunday afternoon on a district road between Ahnsen and Bückeburg.
His car collided with a vehicle in which seven people were sitting. The 60-year-old suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The seven occupants of the other vehicle suffered minor injuries. The district road was closed for around two hours during the operation. Both cars were totaled. It was still unclear why the 60-year-old got into the oncoming lane.
Source: DPA
Erding, Bavaria: A drunk truck driver caused damage of around 100,000 euros on Autobahn 94 in the Upper Bavarian district of Erding. According to police information from Monday, the 37-year-old came too far to the right late on Sunday evening at the Lengdorf junction, crashed into the guardrail and ran over it for a length of around 60 meters. A breath alcohol test on the man showed a value of over two per thousand. The driver was not injured in the accident and had to hand in his driver’s license on the spot.
Other road users had previously reported to the police that the driver was driving his semitrailer in snaking lines across several lanes. The vehicle’s tank was also damaged in the collision with the crash barrier, and several hundred liters of fuel spilled onto the road. According to the police, the acceleration lane at the junction and the right-hand lane were closed for around four and a half hours. However, there were no major traffic jams.
Source: DPA
Callenberg, Saxony: Two children kidnapped a horse from a paddock in Callenberg (Zwickau district). The 11 and 13-year-old girls switched off the electric fence, opened the gate of the paddock and ran down the street with the animal on Saturday evening, as the Zwickau police department announced on Monday.
According to the police, a woman observed the girls and informed the riding stables that she had seen the trio near a sports field. An employee spotted the horse and brought it back. “The two girls wrap themselves in silence where they had put it overnight,” it said. They were reported for theft.
