Swiss actor Bruno Ganz, who played Adolf Hitler cooped up in his Berlin bunker in “Downfall” and an angel in Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire,” has died. He was 77. German news agency dpa reported that Ganz’s management said Saturday he died in Zurich. Ganz, a prominent figure in the German-language theater world, shifted into movies in the 1970s, appearing in Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu” and Wenders’ “The American Friend” among others. In one of his more recent appearances, he starred as Sigmund Freund in “The Tobacconist,” released last year. Berlin Mayor Michael Mueller said Ganz was “one of the greats” of the screen and stage. He said that “the death of Bruno Ganz is a great loss for the German-speaking theater and film world.”
Israel | PM appoints interim foreign minister
Israel’s prime minister has appointed an interim foreign minister after holding the post himself for the last four years. Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday that Transportation Minister Israel Katz would serve as foreign minister until the formation of a new government after April elections. A good governance group petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court against Netanyahu’s multitude of roles after he took over the defense minister’s portfolio following his resignation late last year. Netanyahu also serves as Israel’s health minister. Katz recently finished first among serving ministers in the ruling Likud party primaries, and the upgrade solidifies his position as Netanyahu’s top deputy and potential successor. Katz says he’ll run for party chairman and prime minister after Netanyahu retires.
France | Yellow vests mark three months amid racist tensions
Paris authorities opened an investigation yesterday into anti-Semitic remarks hurled at a noted philosopher during a yellow vest protest in the capital, an incident that raised national concerns about the movement’s ascendant radical fringe. The Paris prosecutor’s office said yesterday an investigation was launched into “public insult based on origin, ethnicity, nationality, race or religion.” A few demonstrators targeted philosopjer Alain Finkielkraut with insults on the sidelines of a yellow vest protest through Paris on Saturday. The shocking incident prompted criticism from French President Emmanuel Macron and other prominent figures.
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