KARLSRUHE: A woman whose husband won the lottery seven years after they had separated is entitled to half of his winnings, or a quarter of a million euros, a German court ruled yesterday. The German Federal Court of Justice said the woman, who was on jobless benefits, should still receive about ¤250,000 ($338,000) from her former husband because they were technically still married when he bought the winning ticket. The man, a pensioner, was living with his new partner when the pair won and shared around ¤956,000 in the lottery in 2008. Two months after the win, he divorced his wife. The Court ruled that assets generated during a marriage must be split equally between the two partners in a divorce, regardless of a separation. It said that lottery winnings were no exception.
Kangaroo shuts Melbourne airport
SYDNEY: An injured kangaroo shut down part of Melbourne Airport yesterday after it hopped through the busy terminal and into a drug store. Police in the Australian city secured the store before wildlife workers tranquilised and captured the animal. Given the name Cyrus, after one of his rescuers, the male eastern grey kangaroo was injured by a vehicle on a nearby road before making his way to the airport’s second level. Cyrus was now in veterinary care, said Karen Masson, the chief executive of Wildlife Victoria. The terminal is near bushland frequented by groups of kangaroos.
Bolshoi dancer goes on trial
MOSCOW: A Bolshoi dancer accused of organising a horrific acid attack against the famed Moscow ballet company’s artistic director went on trial yesterday, with hearings expected to shed more light on infighting inside the troupe. Soloist Pavel Dmitrichenko faces up to 12 years in prison after being charged with planning a January assault against his former boss Sergei Filin. He is being held in detention along with Yury Zarutsky and a driver who drove the assailant to the scene named Andrei Lipatov.
‘Lord of the Lions’ circus legend dead
CAHORS: Wolfgang Holzmair, one of the greatest lion tamers of the 20th century and a legendary figure in circus history, has died at the age of 80. Holzmair, who spent the final decades of his life running a restaurant in Cahors in southwestern France, had passed away after a long illness. He made his name with the celebrated Barnum & Bailey circus in the United States, where he would regularly enter cages full of lions with only a couple of canes and his Roman centurion outfit for protection. The so-called “Lord of the Lions” later performed with the Amar, Pinder and Jean Richard circuses in France.
Agencies
