Berliner Tageszeitung - News from Berlin, Brandenburg and the world

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has declared that Christmas will come early this year, on October 1, as he seeks to impart some holiday cheer after a disputed presidential election the opposition claims he stole.

American amputee athlete Ezra Frech cemented his status as a new Paralympics star on Tuesday as he added a sparkling high jump title to his 100 metres crown, while Chinese swimmers gobbled up medals in the pool.

Emma Navarro turned up the heat ahead of a potential US Open semi-final against Zheng Qinwen by repeating claims she feels "disrespected" by the Chinese star.

The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, a multiday orbital expedition set to feature the first-ever spacewalk by private citizens, is now scheduled to launch on Friday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

A French ship navigating past New York City to harbor laden with Champagne, Cognac and jam under sail might recall a long-forgotten age of wind navigation.

United States captain Jim Furyk followed the form book with his final wildcard selections for the Presidents Cup on Tuesday, rounding out his team based solely on team rankings.

Iran's sitting volleyball star Morteza Mehrzad has finally found a bed big enough to accommodate his 2.46-metre (8 ft 0.85 in) frame at the Paris Paralympics.

Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia has not sought asylum, his lawyer said Tuesday, as the international community slammed an arrest warrant issued over his insistence that he won the July presidential election.

The United States said Tuesday it was time to "finalise" a deal between Israel and Hamas to end the Gaza war, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to bow to pressure.

Paula Badosa admitted she was a "complete disaster" after an astonishing second-set collapse in her US Open quarter-final defeat by Emma Navarro on Tuesday left her feeling like "an ant".

Emma Navarro reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open on Tuesday as fellow Americans Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz attempted to move closer to ending the country's 21-year wait for a male champion at the majors.

An Argentine court on Tuesday allowed two French rugby players held for almost two months on rape charges to return home pending the conclusion of their case.

Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine, a leading critic of authoritarian President Yoweri Museveni, was shot in the leg by police on Tuesday, a statement said.

Marc Soler emerged from the mountain gloom to claim Tuesday's Vuelta a Espana 16th stage summit finish, with Ben O'Connor narrowly holding on to the leader's red jersey.

At least 51 people were killed and hundreds wounded Tuesday in a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Poltava, authorities said, in one of the single deadliest strikes of the two-and-a-half-year war.

Emma Navarro reached her first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open on Tuesday with a straight-sets victory over Paula Badosa whose challenge dramatically collapsed.

UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi said he discussed the safety of Russia's Kursk nuclear plant with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, four weeks after Ukraine launched its unprecedented cross-border incursion.

Paris's deputy mayor defended plans to display the Olympic logo permanently on the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday, saying the rings would not disfigure the beloved monument.

A Namibian government cull of more than 700 wildlife to cope with its worst drought in decades is under way, with nearly 160 animals already killed, the environment ministry said Tuesday.

As head-to-head exhibition 100 metres races go, it is certainly one that catches the eye: pole vault king Armand Duplantis up against 400m hurdles master Karsten Warholm in Zurich on Wednesday.

The United States, European Union and nine Latin American countries on Tuesday rejected an arrest warrant issued in Venezuela against opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claims to have rightfully won the July presidential election.

At least 51 people were killed and hundreds injured in a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Poltava Tuesday, authorities said, in one of the single deadliest strikes of the two-and-a-half-year war.

Oil prices slumped more than four percent and stock markets retreated Tuesday as worries about growth in China and the United States weighed on sentiment.

The backlash to Britain's suspension of some arms exports to Israel shows the fine line the Labour government has to tread in its relations with its Middle Eastern ally.

Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz attempt to set up an all-American US Open semi-final on Tuesday and move closer to ending the country's 21-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion.

In his new film "Queer", Daniel Craig sheds his suave 007 persona for the loneliness and anguish of a drug-addicted gay man, in a love story based on the William Burroughs novel.

A Ugandan Olympian was in intensive care in Kenya on Tuesday suffering 80 percent burns after being doused with petrol and set on fire allegedly by her partner, the latest horrific incident of gender-based violence in the East African country.

Concern mounted on Tuesday over the chances of securing a Gaza truce, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed making any "concessions" in stalled talks towards a hostage release deal.

An attempted jail break from DR Congo's largest prison has left at least 129 people dead and led to women being raped, the interior minister said Tuesday.

Once lauded for reviving Lebanon's economy, former central bank chief Riad Salameh -- wanted abroad and reviled at home after years of financial meltdown -- was arrested on Tuesday by Lebanese authorities.

Japan's undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue opened the door for a fight in Las Vegas next year after retaining his titles against Ireland's TJ Doheny in Tokyo on Tuesday.

England Test coach Brendon McCullum will take charge of the nation's teams in all three formats from the start of next year, cricket chiefs announced on Tuesday.