Berliner Tageszeitung - News from Berlin, Brandenburg and the world

Grand Slam champions Venus Williams and Petra Kvitova were among four wildcard entrants announced Wednesday for next month's ATP and WTA Indian Wells tennis tournament.

An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages described the deaths of three members of the Bibas family as "heart-shattering" Wednesday as Hamas prepared to hand over their bodies.

US Federal Reserve policymakers expressed concern last month about the potentially inflationary effects of President Donald Trump's trade and immigration proposals, according to minutes of the meeting published Wednesday.

Borussia Dortmund cruised into the last 16 of the Champions League after a goalless draw with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday sealed a 3-0 aggregate victory.

Apple on Wednesday introduced a new iPhone 16e model with a lower price tag as the company seeks to revive sales of its iconic device.

From Mexico's most ruthless drug cartels to Central America's most notorious street gang, these are the eight drug trafficking groups being designated terrorist organizations by US President Donald Trump's administration:

The European Union will respond "firmly and swiftly" to protect its interests if Washington imposes tariffs on the bloc's goods, its trade chief said Wednesday, rejecting President Donald Trump's claim that US-EU trade ties are unfair.

Major League Baseball will begin pre-season testing of an automated system to allow challenges of ball-strike calls on Thursday with the technology backstopping home plate umpires in about 60% of exhibition games.

Lewis Hamilton is convinced that this season could be Ferrari's year after he drove for the first time on Wednesday the Formula One team's car for the upcoming season, with a record eighth world title in his sights.

British tennis star Emma Raducanu insisted she would be fine as she thanked fans for their support following a "difficult experience" during the Dubai WTA 1000 event where she was targeted by a man displaying "fixated behaviour".

US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" Wednesday, widening a personal rift with major implications for efforts to end the conflict triggered by Russia's invasion three years ago.

Pope Francis's blood tests show a "slight improvement" as he receives hospital treatment for pneumonia, the Vatican said Wednesday, while Italy's prime minister found the 88-year-old joking "as always".

Carlos Alcaraz withstood a spirited fightback from Italian qualifier Luca Nardi to seal his place in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump called Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" Wednesday, widening a personal rift with major implications for efforts to end the conflict triggered by Russia's invasion three years ago.

The NFL will return to Brazil for a regular-season game in the first week of the 2025 campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers set to appear, the league announced on Wednesday.

Aryna Sabalenka blamed a lack of hunger for her last-16 exit in Dubai at the hands of world number 38 Clara Tauson on Wednesday, insisting she was kind of all over the place".

Syria's tiny Jewish community said they held their first group prayer in decades Wednesday, in a synagogue in Damascus's Old City, expressing joy at the long-awaited return to public worship.

New Zealand rode on brilliant hundreds from Tom Latham and Will Young to beat Pakistan by 60 runs in the Champions Trophy opener on Wednesday, spoiling the country's historic return to hosting global events after three decades.

World number-one furniture retailer Ikea is hoping the market will improve next year from a decline in consumer spending on furnishing their homes, one of its senior leaders told AFP.

Iga Swiatek on Wednesday praised the WTA's "solid" action after a fearful Emma Raducanu broke down in tears at the sight of a "fixated" fan in Dubai while teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva admitted she regularly receives "hateful messages" whenever she loses.

Germany's car lobby on Wednesday warned that tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump would raise prices for American drivers after Trump said he might hike taxes on imports of cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

Warren Gatland says he is "hurting" following the end of his time as Wales head coach.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka slumped to a 6-3, 6-2 loss against Denmark's Clara Tauson in the last 16 of the Dubai Championships on Wednesday, as Jasmine Paolini's title defence came to a painful end.

Arsenal lost £17.7 million in the 2023/24 season despite a return to the Champions League helping to post a club record £616.6 million ($775 million) revenue.

Ice loss from the world's glaciers has accelerated over the past decade, scientists said on Wednesday, warning that melting may be faster than previously expected in the coming years and drive sea levels higher.

England will face Senegal at Nottingham Forest's City Ground in June, while Wales will make an October trip to Wembley, the Football Association announced on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday announced Canada's first high-speed rail line, connecting major hubs from Toronto to Quebec City, calling it "the largest infrastructure project in Canadian history."

Countries bordering the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo sought to shore up defences on Wednesday as violence spreads through the region, with Burundi forced to pull back troops and Uganda securing a key city.

Pope Francis is alert and still making jokes despite having double pneumonia, Italy's prime minister said Wednesday after visiting the 88-year-old pontiff in hospital.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday held a new meeting on Ukraine in a bid to coordinate a European response to what he called an "existential threat" from Russia after a shock policy shift in Washington.

Prosecutors demanded a near five-year jail sentence Wednesday for Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik for defying the envoy who oversees the peace accords that ended the country's bloody 1990s war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hailed progress in talks with the United States, a day after top diplomats met in Saudi Arabia and as a public spat between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US counterpart Donald Trump deepened.