Former Auschwitz guard charged with accessory to murder
93-year-old Oskar Groening, from Hannover, Germany, was charged with 300,000 counts of accessory to murder on Monday, Sept. 15. Groening is accused of helping to operate the Auschwitz death camp in occupied Poland in 1944.
“He helped the Nazi regime benefit economically, and supported the systematic killings,” said state prosecutors from the city of Hannover in a released statement.
Groening is one of approximately 30 former Auschwitz guards recommended for pursuit in charges by federal investigators last year.
“Many of the co-plaintiffs are among the last survivors of Auschwitz,” said Thomas Walther, who represents 20 Auschwitz victims and their families in the case against Groening. Walther believes that this may be the survivors’ last chance “to participate in bringing justice to one of the SS men who had a part in the murder of their closest relatives.”
Groening has talked openly about his time as a guard, discussing the horrific abuse he witness while in Auschwitz employ, but maintains that he did not commit any crimes himself.
Microsoft buys Minecraft for $2.5 billion
Software giant Microsoft acquired Mojang, the Swedish firm responsible for the development of the popular video game Minecraft, for $2.5 billion (or 1.5 billion euro) on Monday, Sept. 15.
The buyout comes a mere year after Microsoft acquired the handset and devices division of Nokia.
Mojang, founded in 2009, brought in more that $100 million in profits the last fiscal year. Minecraft, which has sold over 54 million copies worldwide, is one of the top-selling apps on the Apple iOS store and in Android’s Google Play. The game, which allows players to build structures with old-school Lego-style blocks while also exploring and battling other users, was also recently released for Xbox One and Playstation 4.
The acquisition has prompted speculation from analysts, several of whom suspect that the deal may be a move to attract more users to Microsoft’s Windows Phone.
In a statement, Microsoft maintained that Minecraft would remain available across all existing platforms – and that the company is committed “to nurture and grow it long into the future.”
Compiled by Alyssa Ottema