Convicted Nazi Death Camp Guard John Demjanjuk Dead at 91

Former Nazi death camp guard John Demjanjuk, convicted in Germany last year of helping kill some 28,000 prisoners, died Saturday at the age of 91.

Police in the southern German state of Bavaria say the ailing Demjanjuk died in a nursing home in the town of Bad Feilnbach. He had been sentenced last May to five years in prison, but was freed pending an appeal.

The Ukrainian-born Demjanjuk denied any role in the Holocaust and claimed that he was a victim of the Nazis himself. He told the court he was drafted into the Soviet army in 1941, held as a German prisoner of war and recruited as a prison camp guard.

After World War II Demjanjuk became a U.S. citizen and spent decades working as a mechanic before he was extradited to face trial in Germany in 2009. His conviction set a legal precedent in Germany, marking the first time someone was convicted solely on the grounds of serving as a camp guard, with no evidence of being involved in a specific crime.

In 1988, Demjanjuk was convicted in Israel of being the notorious guard known as “Ivan the Terrible.” Israel's Supreme Court later overturned the conviction as a case of mistaken identity.

Beloved Polar Bear Knut Dies

Polar bear "Knut" (Ursus maritimus) shaking off water after swimming, 12 September 2010. (Photo: Benjamin Janecke a.k.a. BennyJ)

Beloved Polar Bear Knut Dies
Saturday, 19 March 2011

Berlin's beloved polar bear Knut, who rose to international stardom shortly after his birth on December 5, 2006 in captivity, died suddenly on Saturday.

Bear keeper Heiner Kloes said the world-famous bear, who was raised by zookeepers, collapsed in his compound and died shortly afterwards.

An autopsy is scheduled to determine a cause of death.

Knut rose to global fame after he was shown to the public for the first time as a 15-week-old cub. “Knutmania” swept across Germany and the world when the cub's mother rejected him shortly after his birth. The cub was raised by his Berlin zookeeper, Thomas Doerflein, who died unexpectedly in 2008 at the age of 44.

Knut merchandise, including postcards, key chains, candy and stuffed Knuts, has brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the zoo.

“Knutmania” also led to a famous 2007 Vanity Fair cover with U.S. actor Leonardo DeCaprio, shot by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.