Berliner Tageszeitung - News from Berlin, Brandenburg and the world

Simona Halep was handed a wildcard for Australian Open qualifying Wednesday as the two-time Grand Slam champion attempts to ramp up her return to tennis following a doping ban.

Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed Macau's "world-recognised success" as he arrived in the city on Wednesday, kickstarting a three-day trip as the casino hub prepares to celebrate 25 years of Beijing rule.

New coach Nils Nielsen declared Wednesday that Japan can win the Women's World Cup for a second time and vowed to restore the 2011 champions to their former glories.

Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will go down as one of India's greatest players after retiring from international cricket on Wednesday aged 38.

Rescue teams dug for survivors trapped in crumpled buildings in the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake killed at least nine people, burying some in rubble and landslides.

Shares in Japanese chipmaker Kioxia closed 10 percent higher in Tokyo on Wednesday after an initial public offering that valued the firm at more than $5 billion.

India captain Rohit Sharma said Wednesday his team's gritty fightback against Australia with both bat and ball would not hold any significance for the Boxing Day Test.

Shares in Japanese chipmaker Kioxia closed 10 percent higher in Tokyo on Wednesday after an initial public offering that valued the firm at more than $5 billion.

Asian markets swung Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve's much-anticipated policy announcement, while shares in Japanese car titan Nissan soared more than 20 percent after reports said it was in merger talks with rival Honda.

France's notorious mass rape trial has generated an enormous echo in Spain, a pioneer in the fight against gender-based violence, and highlighted the often overlooked scourge of domestic sexual violence.

A space rocket built by a Japanese startup blasted off on Wednesday but was later seen spiralling downwards in the distance as the company said the launch had to be terminated.

India's off-spinning great Ravichandran Ashwin announced his immediate retirement from international cricket following the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday.

From his humble Windhoek workshop, Namibia's leading fashion designer is keeping alive the love for the Herero people's traditional dress with horned headgear, a full-length skirt and a link to German colonisers accused of genocide.

Japanese auto giants Honda and Nissan are in preliminary merger talks to help them compete against Tesla and Chinese electric vehicle makers, media reports said Wednesday.

India's off-spinning great Ravichandran Ashwin announced his immediate retirement from international cricket following the third Test against Australia in Brisbane on Wednesday.

The dusty concrete floor, worn gloves and battered punching bags at Ghana's Attoh Quarshie "Home of the Sweet Science" gym might not look like much.

Rescuers searched desperately for survivors as they sought to assess the full scale of devastation wrought by Cyclone Chido on the French overseas territory of Mayotte, which emerged on Wednesday from a first night spent under curfew.

Stubborn inflation, exorbitant borrowing costs, bankruptcy risks and a growth slowdown: the Russian economy is facing a slew of negative headlines, as the costs of the Ukraine war and Western sanctions mount.

Amsterdam's world-famous canalside houses will soon be allowed to have visible solar panels on their roofs, much to the dismay of local heritage groups, who say they will be an eyesore.

The third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane ended in a draw after storms halted the hosts' bid for an unlikely win Wednesday to leave the series locked 1-1.

The third Test between Australia and India in Brisbane ended in a draw after storms halted the hosts' bid for an unlikely win Wednesday to leave the series locked 1-1.

The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut interest rates by a quarter point on Wednesday and signal a slower pace of cuts ahead, brushing off uncertainty about inflation's downward path and the possible impact of some of President-elect Donald Trump's economic proposals.

A huge band of storms halted Australia's bid for an unlikely win over India on the final day of the third Test in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Taskin Ahmed spearheaded a superb bowling effort as Bangladesh defended another modest total to claim a series-clinching 27-run victory over the West Indies in the second T20 International of a three-match series at the Arnos Vale Stadium in St Vincent on Tuesday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks silenced the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half to win the second edition of the NBA Cup with a 97-81 victory in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Australian tennis great Neale Fraser was honoured with a state funeral on Wednesday with Roger Federer among those paying tribute to "a true legend".

Shares in Japanese chipmaker Kioxia rallied more than seven percent on their debut in Tokyo on Wednesday after an initial public offering that valued the firm at more than $5 billion.

Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and third-ranked Rory McIlroy combined to give the PGA Tour a 2.5-0.5 victory over LIV Golf's Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau in Tuesday's Showdown match-play exhibition.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets Wednesday with NATO chief Mark Rutte and key European leaders in Brussels to discuss "next steps" on Russia's war as Donald Trump prepares to take office in the United States.

Japan's government voiced dismay on Wednesday over the release of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson after Danish authorities refused Tokyo's extradition request.

Djafaruddin says he has recovered from the trauma of collecting bodies when the world's deadliest tsunami devastated Indonesia's western coast two decades ago, but he still breaks down when thinking about the orphaned children.

Call it an antidote to fast fashion: Japanese jeans hand-dyed with natural indigo and weaved on a clackety vintage loom, then sold at a premium to global denim connoisseurs.