Berliner Tageszeitung - News from Berlin, Brandenburg and the world

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday picked little-known Boris Pistorius to be Germany's new defence minister, saying he is the "right person" to steer the armed forces through an era of momentous change.

Intense heat and torrential rain played havoc at the Australian Open on Tuesday, with hours of delays and a slew of matches called off.

Weary parents in China say the difficulties of juggling work and childcare in a costly and ultra-competitive society with little help from the state are at the root of the country's dwindling birth rate.

The president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, has been placed under investigation for sexual harassment, prosecutors told AFP on Tuesday.

Ukrainian tennis player Oleksii Krutykh told AFP on Tuesday anyone displaying a Russian flag at the Australian Open should be banned, saying: "My friends are dying."

Andy Murray said he had silenced the doubters after defeating Italian 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in five gruelling sets to book a spot in the Australian Open second round on Tuesday.

Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro had been hiding in an apartment in a small town in Sicily before his arrest this week after three decades on the run, it emerged Tuesday.

Al-Shabaab stormed a military base north of the Somali capital on Tuesday in a deadly attack launched after the government claimed a "historic victory" over the jihadists with the capture of a strategic coastal town.

A Japanese company has defended its ownership of Van Gogh's "Sunflowers", obtained at auction in 1987, after the family of its former owner filed a US lawsuit demanding its return.

After lighting up football's biggest stages, Cristiano Ronaldo faces a very different reality in Saudi Arabia with smaller stadiums and less exalted teams -- and some very high temperatures.

A rocket strike on Kramatorsk's railway station in April last year, which killed dozens, is rarely spoken about in the city near the frontlines in eastern Ukraine.

Jurgen Klopp says he will not leave Liverpool unless he is told to go, hinting at a major overhaul of his ageing squad at the end of the season.

When the Greek-Orthodox Church of Cyprus enthroned its new leader this month, one bishop stayed away in silent protest over a dispute sparked by the Ukraine war.

China's population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data showed Tuesday, as the birth rate slows in the face of mounting financial pressures and shifting social attitudes.

Andy Murray rolled back the years to defeat 13th seed Matteo Berrettini in a five-set epic at the Australian Open on Tuesday, on a sweltering day that saw play suspended for three hours on most courts.

Andy Murray stunned Italian 13th seed Matteo Berrettini on Tuesday, saving a match point to prevail over five gruelling sets and book a spot in the Australian Open second round.

At least three leading international aid agencies have partially resumed life-saving work in Afghanistan, after assurances from the Taliban authorities that Afghan women can continue to work in the health sector.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has gone from soft-spoken political newcomer to world-renowned Belarusian opposition figure despite never having had political ambitions.

An elite Bangladesh police unit is engaged in the rampant extortion, harassment and wrongful arrests of the Rohingya refugees it has been tasked with protecting, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

Asian stocks mostly fell Tuesday after data showed China's economy at its slowest pace in four decades last year, though traders remain hopeful about the country's outlook as it emerges from years of debilitating zero-Covid measures.

Tennis Australia on Tuesday banned Russian and Belarusian flags at the Australian Open after Ukraine's ambassador demanded action when they were seen among the crowd.

Nissan and Renault are nearing a "historic" rebalancing of their auto alliance, with a deal likely to be announced in the coming weeks, a source close to the talks said Tuesday.

Nepali hospital staff began the grim task of handing over bodies to grieving families on Tuesday after a plane with 72 people on board crashed, the country's worst aviation disaster in three decades.

Play was set to resume on outside courts at the Australian Open Tuesday following a three-hour delay after matches were halted due to extreme heat.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Russell Gage was being treated in hospital on Monday after a scary hit near the end of his team's playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Eating one freshwater fish caught in a river or lake in the United States is the equivalent of drinking a month's worth of water contaminated with toxic "forever chemicals", new research said on Tuesday.

China's population shrank last year for the first time in more than six decades, official data showed Tuesday, as the world's most populous country faces a looming demographic crisis.

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher claimed an unwanted piece of NFL history on Monday after missing a record four extra point attempts in a single game.

Caroline Garcia and Andrey Rublev swept into the Australian Open second round on a blisteringly hot day Tuesday ahead of Novak Djokovic making his eagerly anticipated return to the season-opening Grand Slam.

On a farm close to Hanoi, Le Van Hien picks out the best bird among his flock of "dragon chickens" -- a breed with legs as thick as a brick that can fetch up to $2,000 a head.

China's economy grew last year at its slowest pace in four decades as it was hammered by Covid lockdowns and a property crisis but the forecast-beating reading raised hopes for a strong recovery as it reopens.

Extreme heat forced play to be halted Tuesday on outside courts at the Australian Open, with the roofs closed on its three main stadiums -- Rod Laver Arena, Margaret Court Arena and John Cain Arena.