Berliner Tageblatt - News from Berlin, Europe and the whole world

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won the ice dance title at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya on Saturday to burnish their credentials for Olympic gold.

Ruinous floods and landslides have killed more than 900 people on Indonesia's island of Sumatra, the country's disaster management agency said Saturday, with fears that starvation could send the toll even higher.

An overnight exchange of gunfire and shelling at a major Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing killed four civilians and one soldier, Afghan officials said Saturday, the latest flare-up of fighting between the two countries despite a ceasefire since deadly clashes in October.

The CEO of the 2026 Winter Olympics organising committee admitted on Saturday that there was still plenty to do to complete the venues as the Milan-Cortina Games' torch relay began in Rome.

England openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett got the visitors off to a rapid start to their second innings in the day-night Ashes Test in Brisbane on Saturday after nemesis Mitchell Starc scored a superb 77 to put Australia firmly on top.

India finally won an ODI toss after losing 20 in a row as stand-in skipper KL Rahul broke the scarcely believable jinx against South Africa on Saturday.

Europe's embattled auto industry and its backers are ramping up pressure on the EU to relax its planned 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales -- hoping for a decision by year end.

Mitchell Starc frustrated England with an unbeaten 46 to put Australia firmly in charge at tea on the third day of the day-night second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Saturday.

A banana skin derailed Rory McIlroy's charge at the Australian Open on Saturday with the world number two nine behind rock-solid Dane Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen who heads a stacked field by two shots.

An epic 202 not out by Justin Greaves and a stubborn support role by Kemar Roach saw the West Indies salvage a valiant draw in the first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch on Saturday.

The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder powered to their 14th straight victory on Friday, beating the Dallas Mavericks 132-111 to push their record to an impressive 22-1.

A few dozen early voters in Myanmar's widely criticised elections cast their ballots at the country's embassy in Bangkok on Saturday as polls opened for citizens abroad.

Further heavy rain threatened Indonesia's flood-ravaged island of Sumatra on Saturday as the governor of one hard-hit province warned that the death toll could climb beyond 883 because of starvation.

Disaster-hit Sri Lanka has unveiled a major compensation package to rebuild homes damaged by a deadly cyclone, even as the island prepared Saturday for further landslides and flooding.

The third film in the Avatar series, which will hit cinemas this month, is hoping to extend the success of one of the highest-grossing franchises in history with another environment-themed visual thriller.

The path to glory at the 2026 World Cup has now been laid out after the contenders discovered their tournament fate at Friday's draw ceremony in Washington which was dominated by Donald Trump.

Centuries from Justin Greaves and Shai Hope ensured the first Test between New Zealand and the West Indies will go down to the wire on the final day in Christchurch on Saturday.

World record-holder Gretchen Walsh clocked 55.60sec to win the 100m butterfly on Friday at the US Open in Austin, Texas, where swim stars Summer McIntosh and Leon Marchand again tested themselves in unfamiliar events.

Ukrainian and US officials will hold a third straight day of talks in Miami on Saturday, with Washington saying the two sides agreed that "real progress" would depend on Russia's willingness to end the war.

New Zealand sensed victory in the first Test against the West Indies with a two-wicket strike, including century-maker Shai Hope, as the tourists reached 295-6 at lunch in Christchurch on Saturday.

He got a gold medal. He made a game show-style appearance with foreign leaders. And he danced to YMCA.

NBA legend Michael Jordan appeared in a North Carolina court room on Friday, testifying that he wanted to "push NASCAR to be better" through his anti-trust lawsuit against the popular US auto racing series.

Key reactions from coaches after the 2026 World Cup draw in Washington on Friday:

Glasgow earned a bonus-point 26-21 victory away to Sale as the Scots opened their Champions Cup campaign in style on Friday as Stormers won 26-17 in Bayonne.

President Donald Trump has had Europe in his crosshairs since beginning a second White House term earlier this year.

A witness in a high-profile inquiry into crime and corruption in South Africa's justice system was gunned down late on Friday, just weeks after implicating a municipal police chief, investigators said.

England coach Thomas Tuchel warned not to get carried away after Friday's draw for the 2026 World Cup placed his team in an apparently winnable group but left open the possibility of a hazardous run through the knockout phase.

A European Union plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine's fight against Russia would have "far-reaching consequences" for the EU, Moscow's ambassador to Germany warned on Friday.

Holders Argentina and leading contenders Spain were handed kind draws for the 2026 World Cup in a star-studded ceremony at which US President Donald Trump received FIFA's new peace prize.

The World Health Organization chief said Friday that countries were in a strong position to finalise the vital missing piece of the pandemic treaty, which will determine how vaccines are shared.

An advisory panel appointed by the Trump administration's vaccine-skeptic health secretary voted Friday to stop recommending that all newborns in the United States receive a hepatitis B vaccine.

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti reflected on a "difficult" group after being paired with surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco at the 2026 World Cup draw on Friday.