German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schäfer said Berlin is doing everything it can to stay the execution:

The German government categorically opposes all forms of capital punishment … and this of course applies all the more when German nationals are threatened abroad. Therefore, I can assure you that the federal government will do everything within its power with the aim that this sentence … if at all possible, is not carried out or that it is changed.

The death penalty was abolished in West Germany in 1949 and in East Germany in 1987.

Before the man can be put to death, the judgment must be confirmed by a higher court and then by China’s Supreme Court.

The convicted murderer has been identified as 36 year-old “Philipp B” from Teisendorf in Bavaria by the German press, but as “Phillip Martin” by What’s On Xiamen when the murders first took place.

Philipp B is guilty of murdering 29 year-old Venezuelan national “Jennifer M” and 39 year-old German national “Jörn-Christian H” with a hammer and knife in an alley near the Marco Polo Hotel in Xiamen at night on June 6, 2010.

Philipp B had studied sinology with his ex-girlfriend in Munich before they broke up in 2005. The victim went to study in Xiamen in 2006, and it is believed the killer stalked “Jennifer M” and followed her to Xiamen with the intention to commit murder.

Philipp B’s lawyer Chen Liqun said no decision has been made yet regarding a possible appeal. If the man is executed, he would be the first German national put to death since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Photo: Hotel Ungou

The naked torsos of Abercrombie and Fitch (A+F) models are coming to Hong Kong this August. With their sex-appeal making the American fashion retailer famous worldwide, Hong Kong will be the first flagship store in the greater China market.

The move is part of a bigger effort to expand their international presence outside America. New flagship stores are opening over in Munich, Germany and in South Asia, Singapore is the only recent beneficiary of the latest store openings.

Abercrombie and Fitch on the lookout for "models"

Last August, A+F’s sister brand Hollister made its first foray into the Pearl River Delta, opening a flagship store in Hong Kong’s Festival Walk, while at the start of the year, in downtown Shenzhen, it opened its doors to customers in the MixC shopping mall.

Recruitment for “models” is well underway for the soon-to-be-based Pedder Street retailer in Central district.

A “model” recruiter for A+F reckons the store will open on August 27.
—–
Abercrombie and Fitch have published long-awaited details on the opening date of their new Hong Kong store.

The date and time is August 11, at 11am.

Honestly, it’s an event not to be missed, especially as it includes a vast German-style buffet and all the beer you can drink. The Nanfang will be out and about at Oktoberfest tomorrow night, so if you see a bloke with a camera around his neck and a beer in each hand, come by and say hello.

Oktoberfest runs from today (September 23) to next Wednesday, the 28th. You can get more details here.