Shannon Brandt: North Dakota man who killed teen Cayler Ellingson over political dispute sentenced to 5 years in prison
Shannon Brandt claimed Ellingson, whom he fatally ran over, was a 'Republican extremist' who had threatened him during a political argument
2023-09-10 20:49
Retail sales up 0.4% in April, buoyed by solid job market and declining prices in some areas
Consumers picked up their spending modestly in April from March, particularly in dining out and online, buoyed by a solid job market and easing inflationary pressures
2023-05-16 23:58
The new twist in Hunter Biden's case is a huge political headache for his father
A sudden new twist in the investigation into Hunter Biden means his legal tribulations will likely stretch on for months, creating an unwelcome new drag on his father's White House and reelection bid.
2023-08-12 09:54
Get Excited for Fall With the 2023 Peak Foliage Map
Can't wait for fall? Start planning the ultimate leaf-peeping expedition now with this interactive map showing peak foliage predictions for 2023.
2023-09-14 04:50
Atlanta's Ronald Acuña Jr. unanimous NL Most Valuable Player after 41-homer, 73-steal season
Ronald Acuña Jr. was a unanimous winner of his first National League Most Valuable Player award after becoming the first big leaguer with 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in a season
2023-11-17 08:18
Who is Dr Mod Helmy? The WWII hero in today's Google Doodle
Today’s Google Doodle is a reminder that some human beings are truly extraordinary. The design, which you’ll see if you head to the search engine’s homepage, is a celebration of Dr Mohamed “Mod” Helmy – a man who risked his life to save Jewish people during the Second World War. Dr Helmy was born in Khartoum, Sudan, on 25 July, 1901, to an Egyptian father and a German mother. At the age of 21, he moved to Germany to study medicine, swiftly proving his skills as a talented physician and becoming head of urology at Berlin’s Robert Koch Hospital (now known as Krankenhaus Moabit). Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in 1933 was to turn his happy life upside down. Dr Helmy was forced to watch, powerless, as his Jewish colleagues were all fired from the hospital. And whilst he was initially kept on, he was soon subjected to discrimination and persecution for being a North African, and lost his job, too. He was also banned from marrying his German fiancée Annie Ernst (although, we’re pleased to say, he was able to do so some years later). In 1939 and again in 1940, the doctor was arrested along with other Egyptian nationals. And although the Nazis released him when he became gravely ill, he was under strict instruction to report to the police twice a day as proof he was unfit for internment. Despite being targeted by the regime himself, Dr Helmy continued to speak out against Nazi policies and, after being demoted to the role of doctor’s assistant, he made the most of his limited position by writing sick notes to help innocent people escape hard labour. He also repeatedly risked his life to help his Jewish friends. When Berlin’s deportation of the Jews began and his family friend Anna Boros was in need of a hiding place, Dr Helmy brought her to a cabin he owned in the neighbourhood of Buch. This became her safe haven until the end of the war, as Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Center, notes in its biography of the doctor. At times of danger, when he was under police investigation, Dr Helmy would arrange for Boros to hide elsewhere. “A good friend of our family, Dr Helmy…hid me in his cabin in Berlin-Buch from 10 March until the end of the war,” she wrote after the war. “As of 1942 I no longer had any contact [with] the outside world. The Gestapo knew that Dr Helmy was our family physician, and they knew that he owned a cabin in Berlin-Buch. “He managed to evade all their interrogations. In such cases he would bring me to friends where I would stay for several days, introducing me as his cousin from Dresden. When the danger would pass, I would return to his cabin. “Dr Helmy did everything for me out of the generosity of his heart and I will be grateful to him for eternity”. Dr Helmy also helped protect Boros’ mother, Julianna, her stepfather, Georg Wehr, and her grandmother, Cecilie Rudnik. Thanks to his courage and resourcefulness, all four of them survived the Holocaust. He remained in Berlin until his death in 1982. In 2013, Yad Vashem posthumously bestowed its Righteous Among the Nations award on Dr Helmy. He was the first Arab rescuer to be awarded the prestigious title. The Google Doodle artwork was created by Berlin-based artist Noa Snir to honour his Egyptian and German background and capture his open-hearted nature. Speaking about her work on the project, Snir told a Google Q&A: ": I found the story of Mod Helmy very moving. I come from a Jewish background, and the thought of individuals outside of the Jewish community risking their lives to help others during WW2 is something that personally gives me hope about humanity. "I think Helmy's case is an especially interesting one as he himself suffered persecution due to his background and ethnicity, and that still didn't stop him from helping as many people as he could. It's unfathomable to me, this type of courage and integrity." She added that she hoped people would view her Doodle and reflect on the fact that "even in one of the darkest moments in world history, there were truly remarkable people who made acts of extreme courage and solidarity". "I think we should all aspire to be the Mod Helmy's of the world, or ask ourselves how we can take example from him in whatever small way we can," she said. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-07-25 16:24
Azerbaijanis who fled a separatist region decades ago ache to return, but it could be a long wait
The sudden capitulation of ethnic Armenian forces in a separatist region of Azerbaijan raises hopes for the return of thousands of people who fled the territory decades ago
2023-10-15 12:20
Colorado funeral home owner, wife arrested on charges linked to mishandling of at least 189 bodies
A Colorado funeral home owner and his wife have been arrested after the decaying remains of at least 189 people were recently found at his facility
2023-11-09 00:23
Ethiopian scientist Gebisa Ejeta receives National Medal of Science from US
Gebisa Ejeta, 73, receives the National Medal of Science for developing an improved sorghum hybrid.
2023-10-25 21:50
Armenia PM takes swipe at Russia as first civilians leave breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh
Armenia's prime minister has called his country's security relationships "ineffective," in a swipe at Russia after Azerbaijan claimed the breakaway province of Nagorno-Karabakh following a swift military campaign.
2023-09-24 23:58
Vaccine skeptics dominate South Carolina pandemic preparation meeting as COVID-19 cases rise
Vaccine skeptics got a lot of airtime at a Tuesday meeting of South Carolina lawmakers considering how to best counter future pandemics
2023-09-13 05:19
Amnesty International says Israeli forces wounded Lebanese civilians with white phosphorus
The human rights group Amnesty International says civilians in southern Lebanon were injured this month when Israeli forces hit a border village with shells containing white phosphorus
2023-11-01 03:49
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