A German court said Thursday that it has decided not to hear a sex offences case against a man who also is a suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, arguing that the region where it is located isn't the last place he lived in Germany and so it isn't responsible.
Prosecutors in the northern city of Braunschweig in October charged the German suspect in his mid-40s in several separate cases involving sexual offenses allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
The suspect hasn't been charged in the McCann case, in which he is under investigation on suspicion of murder. He spent many years in Portugal, including in the resort of Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine's disappearance there in 2007. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.
The suspect, who has been identified by media as Christian Brueckner, is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape he committed in Portugal in 2005.
In the German legal system, a court must decide after it receives an indictment from prosecutors whether to take a case to trial.
The Braunschweig state court said its supposed responsibility for the case being in the area had been based on his last residence before going abroad and then to prison. But it said that isn't valid, because the suspect produced evidence of a later residence in the neighbouring state of Saxony-Anhalt, where he was registered as the owner of a property that he kept after going abroad.
The court said that, as a result of its decision, it has lifted a new arrest warrant it issued for the suspect in November. It said in a statement that this has no influence on the suspect's serving of his current sentence.
It said that its decision can be appealed to a higher court in Braunschweig. Prosecutors said later Thursday that they will examine the reasons for the decision carefully and then likely appeal.
Hurricane Milton strengthens into a Category 5 storm off Mexico and threatens Florida, forecasters say.
Days after a political sign was erected outside Chip Wilson's Vancouver mansion, the waterfront property has been vandalized with graffiti.
Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91.
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A Canadian soldier who was exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while serving in Afghanistan has been awarded full medical compensation for testicular cancer after Veterans Affairs initially denied his claim.
Sammy Basso, who was the longest living survivor of the rare genetic disease progeria, has died at the age of 28, the Italian Progeria Association said on Sunday.
Scurvy is not just an archaic diagnosis of 18th-century seafarers and doctors should watch for possible cases, according to researchers following a recent case.
Ceremonies, events and protests are being held across Canada today to mark the anniversary of a Hamas attack on Israel that triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
Days after a political sign was erected outside Chip Wilson's Vancouver mansion, the waterfront property has been vandalized with graffiti.
Two people are in hospital after they were chased and shot at in what appears to be an act of road rage before eventually flipping their car while trying to escape, police say.
A Canadian soldier who was exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while serving in Afghanistan has been awarded full medical compensation for testicular cancer after Veterans Affairs initially denied his claim.
Lawyers representing the Ontario man accused of selling hundreds of suicide kits with deadly effect around the globe have filed to intervene in a case in Canada’s highest court, arguing there is no way he can be charged with murder under Canadian law.
A totem pole that has stood on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature for more than 50 years has come down.
A teacher working on a First Nation in northwestern Ontario has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor.
Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets into Israel on Monday as mourners marked the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, without disrupting a nearby ceremony.
Having a plan and an emergency kit before Hurricane Milton strikes is paramount and, for many Floridians, heeding warnings to evacuate could be a life-saving decision, emergency officials say.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday suggested undocumented immigrants who commit murder have 'bad genes,' in the latest example of the former president using dehumanizing rhetoric as he tries to stoke fears about those in the country illegally.
Lawyers for a man who is also under investigation in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann called on Monday for him to be acquitted in his trial on charges of unrelated sexual offences.
A British doctor on Monday admitted trying to kill his mother's long-term partner, who stood between him and an inheritance, by injecting the man with poison disguised as a COVID-19 vaccine.
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied won re-election in a landslide victory in results announced Monday after a campaign season that saw his opponents jailed alongside journalists, activists and attorneys.
The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas fighters on Israel last year, and the immediate Israeli retaliation that followed, sent shockwaves throughout the world that have shaken Canada culturally and politically.
Federal political parties appear to be locked in a game of chicken over a debate that has stalled almost all business in the House of Commons.
A federal inquiry says the Liberal government has consented to the public disclosure of summaries of cabinet documents about foreign interference.
Georgia's highest court reinstated a ban on nearly all abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy on Monday while it considers the U.S. state's appeal of last week's ruling by a lower court judge blocking the law.
Sammy Basso, who was the longest living survivor of the rare genetic disease progeria, has died at the age of 28, the Italian Progeria Association said on Sunday.
If your household has recently been hit by a power outage, here are ways to keep your food safe.
A spacecraft blasted off Monday to investigate the scene of a cosmic crash.
The best minds in science will be thrust from academic obscurity into the spotlight this week when the Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine are announced. However, there is no shortage of Nobel-worthy discoveries: Here are five breakthroughs that haven't resulted in a life-changing call from Stockholm — at least not yet.
Scientists announced on Thursday a milestone in neurobiological research with the mapping of the entire brain of an adult fruit fly, a feat that may provide insight into brains across the animal kingdom, including people.
Cissy Houston, the mother of the late Whitney Houston and a two-time Grammy winner who performed alongside superstar musicians like Elvis Presley, and Aretha Franklin, has died. She was 91.
Ticketmaster is enforcing new rules around how fans transfer Taylor Swift tickets amid a surge in reported scams.
Janice Small Combs is defending her superstar son, Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from Martin Shkreli, who was once dubbed 'Pharma Bro' after jacking up the price of a lifesaving drug.
JetBlue’s economy class passengers will no longer find hot meals on the menu aboard transatlantic flights.
Days after a political sign was erected outside Chip Wilson's Vancouver mansion, the waterfront property has been vandalized with graffiti.
Gerontologist Jay Olshansky is used to backlash about his views on human longevity. Decades ago he and his coauthors predicted children, on average, would live to only age 85 — only 1 per cent to 5 per cent might survive until their 100th birthday.
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Shams Charania has been hired as ESPN's senior NBA insider, replacing his mentor Adrian Wojnarowski.
Christine Sinclair has been announced as the newest owner of Vancouver's women's professional soccer team.
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New data from the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) shows that even though claims for auto theft dropped in the first half of 2024 compared to their 2023 peak, the rates of reported theft remain well above those of years prior.
Tesla is recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks because the rearview camera image may not activate immediately after shifting into reverse, the fifth recall for the vehicle since it went on sale late last year.
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A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
Bernie Hicks, known as the ‘Batman of Amherst,’ always wanted to sit in a Batmobile until a kind stranger made it happen.
Bubi’s Awesome Eats, located on University Ave West took to social media to announce the closure on Friday.
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Avry Wortman, 13, scored two touchdowns on Sunday during her team's win in the under 14 Greater Moncton Football Association.
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Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.
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B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad promised to “end tent cities†in the province Saturday while standing at a podium set up in front of a Kelowna encampment whose residents he acknowledged he had not spoken to.
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Celine Dion introduced the marquee Dallas Cowboys - Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday Night Football game before getting drenched by orange Gatorade.
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Edmonton Oilers alumni Chris Joseph and Edmonton Fire Rescue Services kicked off Read-In Week at Richard Secord School on Monday.
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A Canadian soldier who was exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while serving in Afghanistan has been awarded full medical compensation for testicular cancer after Veterans Affairs initially denied his claim.
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Those in the area of Elphinstone Street and 4th Avenue were witness to an extended police presence on Sunday.
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As campaigning continues in the lead up to election day in Saskatchewan, a date and time has been chosen for this year's leaders' debate.
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A teacher working on a First Nation in northwestern Ontario has been charged with sexually assaulting a minor.
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A London area construction worker has risen from the rubble, literally, to carve out a new niche in project management – one that includes an emphasis on worker safety.
The London Knights have just become instant favourites for another Ontario Hockey League (OHL) championship.
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Officers arrested a man accused of pointing a firearm at two people in Barrie over the weekend.
The cause of a fire that caused significant damage to a home in Oro-Medonte over the weekend is under investigation.
Students in Sports and Recreation Management at Lambton College have been given the opportunity to work alongside the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Winds through their Fundraising and Sport Sponsorship course.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized $17,000 in unreported cash at the Ambassador Bridge.
Windsor police are releasing statistics for the new Offender Management Unit that was launched earlier this year.
Major crime investigators have been called to the scene of a suspected homicide in the northern Vancouver Island community of Port Hardy.
A Canadian soldier who was exposed to toxic chemicals from burn pits while serving in Afghanistan has been awarded full medical compensation for testicular cancer after Veterans Affairs initially denied his claim.
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Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.
NDP Leader David Eby is promising to offer a $75-million loan forgiveness program to entice doctors, nurses and heath professionals to expand health-care services in rural British Columbia.
Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week – and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.
A Lethbridge police officer involved in a scandal involving former Lethbridge New Democrat MLA Shannon Phillips has been reprimanded.
Lethbridge police say a man who escaped from a psychiatric ward at the Chinook Regional Hospital has been found.
While the summer may be over, construction season in Lethbridge is not.
Greater Sudbury in partnership with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, is hosting the organization's annual mining conference.
As part of an ongoing investigation, provincial police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a Kubota tractor stolen in North Shore Township, Ont., last month.
A 33-year-old man was arrested Saturday for allegedly spraying bear mace at three individuals in northwestern Ontario.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.
A mother in a community where the cost of living is one of the highest in the country says grocery prices are 'inhumane' and retailers are putting profits ahead of people’s basic human right to food.
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