A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Saudi prince killed servant in hotel, court told
LONDON – A Saudi prince killed his servant in their room at a luxury London hotel in a ferocious beating that had a sexual element, a British court was told yesterday.
Bandar Abdulaziz was found dead in bed at the Landmark Hotel in central London on February 15th this year, having suffered extensive injuries, including bite marks to his cheeks, the Old Bailey jury was told.
The 32-year-old had spent the previous three years travelling as an occasional companion of Saud Abdulaziz bin Nasser al Saud, whose father is a nephew of the Saudi king. – (Reuters)
Israeli orchestra in Wagner move
JERUSALEM – An Israeli orchestra is set to become the first ensemble from the Jewish state to play a German festival associated with Richard Wagner, a composer admired by Adolf Hitler and whose music has been controversial in Israel.
The Israel Chamber Orchestra will perform in July in the northern Bavarian town of Bayreuth, where Wagner lived the latter part of his life until his death in 1883.
Israeli orchestras rarely play Wagner’s music, citing the feelings of survivors of the Holocaust. Although Wagner, who wrote anti-Semitic texts, died half a century before Hitler came to power, the Nazi dictator was a fervent admirer. – (Reuters)