Berliner Tageszeitung - News from Berlin, Brandenburg and the world

France coach Didier Deschamps said his injury-hit side had the quality to trouble defending Nations League champions Spain in Thursday's semi-final, with Germany or Portugal awaiting the winner in the title match on Sunday.

Thirteen people went on trial in France on Wednesday over a "racist" insult targeting Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, who faced criticism from the far right and harassment over her performance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Iga Swiatek puts her bid for a fourth successive French Open title on the line against world number one Aryna Sabalenka with a place in the final at stake on Thursday.

Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin warned him "very strongly" in a call Wednesday that he would respond to Ukraine's stunning attack on Russian airfields, adding that any immediate prospect of peace remained far off.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy has explained his media silence during the PGA Championship admitting that he was unhappy at the way the news of his driver disqualification was leaked.

More than 1.5 million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the hajj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year's 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat.

US President Donald Trump accused Tehran on Wednesday of "slowwalking" on a nuclear deal, after Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the latest proposal from Washington was against the national interest.

Lois Boisson has "resilience" tattooed above her right elbow and the 361st-ranked Frenchwoman demonstrated she had plenty as she stormed into semi-finals of the French Open on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump said he spoke to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Wednesday about Ukraine and Iran, warning that the Kremlin leader had "very strongly" pledged to respond to Kyiv's stunning drone attack on Russian bombers.

The European Commission gave the green light on Wednesday for Bulgaria to adopt the euro from next year, putting the Balkan country on course to become the 21st member of the single currency area.

Packed crowds in India celebrating their cricket team's victory ended in a deadly stampede on Wednesday with 11 mainly young fans crushed to death, the local state's chief minister said.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday it is "extremely hard" to reach a deal with China as a trade impasse persisted, while his doubling of metal tariffs fueled tensions with key partners.

French authorities want to give legal rights to the River Seine to better defend the world-famous waterway in court and protect its fragile ecosystem, part of a global movement to grant legal personhood to nature.

An inspired Lois Boisson delighted Roland Garros as the French world number 361 downed Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday to set up a French Open semi-final against Coco Gauff, while Jannik Sinner secured a last-four meeting with either Novak Djokovic or Alexander Zverev.

Jannik Sinner booked himself a second consecutive semi-final appearance at Roland Garros on Wednesday with a typically ruthless straight-sets victory over unseeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik.

French visitors to major adult websites Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube were met Wednesday with a message denouncing privacy risks from government demands that they verify users' ages.

At least 11 people were killed in a stampede Wednesday as a tightly packed crowd celebrated the victory of their home cricket team in the Indian city of Bengaluru, the state's chief minister said.

With shops planning midnight launch parties after a run on pre-orders, Nintendo releases the Switch 2 on Thursday, hoping to score record early sales for a games console.

France's 361st-ranked Lois Boisson continued her "incredible" Paris adventure on Wednesday, dispatching world number six Mirra Andreeva in a thrilling two-set battle to reach the French Open semi-finals.

Edmund White, the influential American novelist who chronicled gay life and his own sexual odyssey through his work, including dozens of books, several short stories and countless articles and essays, has died, his agent said Wednesday. He was 85.

Coco Gauff said on Wednesday she will pretend the French crowd "are cheering for me" when she faces home favourite Lois Boisson in the Roland Garros semi-finals.

An inspired Lois Boisson delighted Roland Garros as the French world number 361 downed Mirra Andreeva on Wednesday to set up a French Open semi-final against Coco Gauff, before Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic both chase men's last-four berths.

Working day and night in front of maps, screens and seemingly endless data, Saudi officials have harnessed artificial intelligence to help manage the million-strong sea of pilgrims during the hajj.

France's 361st-ranked Lois Boisson continued her dream run at the French Open, defeating world number six Mirra Andreeva to advance to the semi-finals at Roland Garros on Wednesday.

Stock markets advanced Wednesday despite data showing US private sector job growth nearly dried up last month, reviving fears about the economy.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said that Russia was giving Ukraine an ultimatum at peace negotiations but said he was ready to hold direct talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump "any day".

A stampede broke out Wednesday as a tightly packed crowd celebrated the victory of their home cricket team in the Indian city of Bengaluru, resulting in deaths, a senior government official said.

Edmund White, the influential American novelist who chronicled gay life through his semi-autobiographical work, including dozens of books, several short stories and countless articles and essays, has died, his agent said Wednesday. He was 85.

Germany's government on Wednesday put forward a sweeping package of corporate tax breaks aimed at boosting investment and pulling Europe's largest economy out of the doldrums.

The world's most populous nation India will conduct a census in 2027, its first since 2011, the government said Wednesday, which will also count caste -- a controversial accounting not done since the country's independence.

Patrick Kluivert said he is "very confident" Indonesia will get a positive result against China in front of a sell-out crowd in Jakarta on Thursday to move closer to a historic World Cup spot.

Thirteen people went on trial in Paris on Wednesday over a "racist" insult targeting Franco-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, who faced criticism from the far right and harassment over her performance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.