A masked man was shot dead yesterday after entering a movie theatre in southwestern Germany with what appeared to be a rifle and taking several hostages, authorities said. No one else was hurt in the incident.

Latest: Hesse's interior minister, Peter Beuth, said it was not clear whether the weapon was real.

USA:  A macaque monkey who took now-famous selfie photographs cannot be declared the copyright owner of the photos, a federal judge said.

Ireland’s dominance of the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show came to end in yesterday’s feature €200,000 Longines Grand Prix, courtesy of American Kent Farrington.

It’s been 15 years since an Irish team won the nations cup at Rotterdam and it’s guaranteed to be 16, as Ireland will not be represented today.

German analyst and investor sentiment rose in November for the first time in almost a year, surpassing expectations and raising hopes of an improvement in Europe’s biggest economy after it dodged recession in the third quarter.

The eurozone recovery failed to gather momentum last quarter, as France unexpectedly stalled and economies from Italy to the Netherlands shrank.

Medtronic, the world’s biggest maker of heart-rhythm devices, said fiscal first-quarter sales missed analysts’ estimates on weaker-than-expected demand for defibrillators and the InFuse bone-growth product.

UNDEFEATED Cork-based heavyweight Mike “The Rebel” Perez improved to 19 victories with a convincing points decision over Travis Walker in Germany on Saturday.

William Whitaker gave Britain its second feature win in as many days at Millstreet International Horse Show yesterday, but Alexander Butler also laid down a marker ahead of tomorrow’s €50,000 grand prix.

Ozzy Osbourne has reassured fans that he is in good health after cancelling a recent concert.

ECB governing council member Jens Weidmann says common euro bonds or joint debt liability could be established in the currency area in the context of a true fiscal union.

A court ruled yesterday that Microsoft infringed Motorola Mobility’s patents and ordered Microsoft to remove its Xbox 360 consoles and Windows 7 operating system software from the German market.

European stocks advanced yesterday, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index climbing to the highest since July 26, as reports showed German investor confidence in March increased more than forecast and US retail sales rose in February.

GERMAN investor confidence fell to the lowest level in more than two-and-a-half years in September as Europe’s debt crisis and a global slowdown damped the outlook for growth.

THE Stars Go Racing episode in which my apprentice Alan Quinlan and I were involved in a battle with Mick Halford and Ella McSweeney, was aired this week and we all got a little over-excited when Dundrum, ridden by Kate, won. I have to say I’m delighted with how it all went. It was a great experience and Alan has been a great sport.

LEOPARDSTOWN: 6.05: Seeharn; 6.35 Mannheim; 7.05; Emiyna

ROCK CRITIC can add to a wonderful week for Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen by landing the featured Ladbrokes Biggest Names Best Prices Premier Handicap at Galway this afternoon.

SIXTH in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and narrowly beaten at listed level, the John Oxx trained Zabarajad scraped home to land odds of 30/100 in the opening Bennettsbridge Maiden at Gowran Park last night.

INVESTOR confidence in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, dropped to the lowest in two-and-a-half years in June as the region’s debt crisis dimmed the economic outlook.

DENIS LYNCH will be aiming to further repair his “dented pride” this weekend when he lines out in the second leg of the Global Champions Tour (GCT) in Valencia, Spain.

Berlin: German investor confidence unexpectedly fell for the first time in five months in March after the European Central Bank said it may raise interest rates and Japan’s biggest earthquake on record caused a slump in global stocks.

Wladimir Klitschko has pulled out of his world heavyweight title defence against Dereck Chisora for the second time – fuelling speculation he is set to fight David Haye instead.

Dereck Chisora’s dream of becoming a world heavyweight champion is over for now after Wladimir Klitschko pulled out of his WBO and IBF title defence with a back injury.

WITH the majority of the Irish athletes due to fly into Barcelona today, Paul Hession has opted to remain at the training camp in Murcia until Monday, the day before the European Championships get under way.

EDMUND O’HALLORAN (St Francis College, Rochestown) wants to join his Leevale clubmate, Patrick Maher, at the world junior championships in Canada and yesterday he took another step towards fulfiling his ambition when he got his schools campaign off to a flyer with an emphatic victory in the 110m hurdles at the South Munster Schools championships at the Cork IT Track in Bishopstown.

MARATHON man Martin Fagan believes he can land a medal at the European Championships if he is selected for the showpiece event.

LIVERPOOL fans may believe that this was their weekend, but even beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge doesn’t quite match the achievements of Hoffenheim and Leixoes.

OLYMPIC race walker Olive Loughnane claims she is in “really good shape” ahead of next month’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

IN his letter (April 24), Brian Geoghegan tries to contend that the Lisbon treaty will bring about common corporate taxes in Europe.

IT is a measure of the respect and affection with which show jumper Marie Burke is held that, following her surprise axing by manager Robert Splaine from the European Championships team in Mannheim last month, she was the subject of much condolence.

Showjumper Jessica Kurten has confirmed that one of her top horses has tested positive for a banned substance.

Clare-born Marie Burke took a third place in the Grand Prix Qualifier at Mannheim, Germany today (Friday) with her Irish- bred stallion Chippison.

Ireland's show-jumping team today lost its last chance of qualifying for the 2008 Olympics when it failed to stay in the top 10 after the first round of the team championship at Mannheim, Germany.

IRELAND’S show jumpers are in seventh place as they enter the first nations cup of the European Championships in Mannheim, Germany, today.

Shane Breen and Dorada completed an Irish double at Hickstead as they pipped Ellen Whitaker and her specialist horse Henri de Herne for the £3,000 first prize in the Sky Sports Speed Classic at the Longines Royal International Horse Show.

THE announcement on Monday of the Irish nations cup quintet for the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show (August 8-12) allows the chance for a more educated guess as to the make-up of the squad for the European Championships, which take place the following week.

THE long awaited clash of David McCarthy (St. Augustine’s, Dungarvan) and John Coghlan (Castleknock) in the senior boys’ 1,500m failed to live up to expectations at the KitKat Irish Schools track and field championships at Tullamore on Saturday.

THREE Irish athletes produced superlative performances in Mannheim over the weekend to qualify for next month’s world junior championships in Beijing.

ON the train down to Mannheim, the morning after watching Brazil do just enough to edge out Croatia in the Olympiastadion in Berlin, we fell in with a friendly group of Croatian Football Association staff in the restaurant car.

IRELAND show jumping team manager Robert Splaine is not one for bombast, so it was not surprising yesterday to learn that his aims in today’s French nations cup are modest.

THE new management team for Irish international show jumping will be officially unveiled on Monday, according to the Equestrian Federation of Ireland (EFI).