Vossische Zeitung - News from Berlin, Brandenburg, Europe and the whole world

Planet-heating methane spewing into the atmosphere from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines only has a modest impact on climate change, say scientists, but sharply highlights the risks of fossil-fuel driven greenhouse gas emissions.

Mo Farah has been forced to withdraw from Sunday's London marathon due to a hip injury with this latest setback raising doubts over the 39-year-old's future in competitive racing.

Iran is imposing increasingly severe restrictions on access to the internet, albeit still short of a total shutdown, in an apparent bid to limit the sharing of footage of protests which have erupted nationwide, activists charge.

Denmark's Queen Margrethe, Europe's only reigning queen and the continent's longest serving monarch, on Wednesday stripped four of her eight grandchildren of their titles, the palace announced.

Italy's Samantha Cristoforetti on Wednesday became the first European woman to take over command of the International Space Station during a ceremony broadcast live from space.

The EU's executive on Wednesday proposed a new round of sanctions on Moscow over its latest "escalation" in Ukraine, including an oil price cap and ban on Russian exports worth seven billion euros ($7 billion).

Samson Kambalu's post-colonial sculpture "Antelope" was unveiled on Wednesday as the new sculpture on the empty Fourth Plinth of London's Trafalgar Square.

Global stock markets rallied on Wednesday in a volatile trading, with investors given an "energy boost" by an intervention by the Bank of England.

Cuba was still without electricity on Wednesday more than 12 hours after a massive power cut caused by Hurricane Ian, which killed two people and left widespread damage.

Moscow questioned Wednesday whether Washington caused mystery undersea gas pipeline leaks in Europe that have been blamed on sabotage, in a turn of the tables that US officials bluntly called "ridiculous".

Worcester captain Ted Hill said on Wednesday that while "everyone wants everything to work out" at the English Premiership crisis club, his teammates will need a "Plan B" regarding their own futures amid the ongoing uncertainty over the team's future.

Heavy winds and rain pummelled Florida on Wednesday as Hurricane Ian intensified to just shy of the strongest Category 5 level, threatening to wreak "catastrophic" destruction on the southern US state.

Fish fossils dating back 440 million years are helping to "fill some of the key gaps" on how humans evolved from fish, researchers said on Wednesday.

The parents of Mahsa Amini, whose death in the custody of Iran's morality police has sparked 12 nights of protests, have filed a complaint against the officers involved in her detention, the family's lawyer said Wednesday.

Kremlin-backed officials in Ukraine appealed to President Vladimir Putin Wednesday to annex the regions under their control, after the territories held votes denounced by Kyiv and the West as a "sham".

Iran launched cross-border missile and drone strikes that killed nine people in Iraq's Kurdistan region Wednesday after accusing Kurdish armed groups based there of stoking a wave of unrest that has rocked the Islamic republic.

Richarlison responded angrily on Wednesday to racist abuse after he scored as Brazil thrashed Tunisia in a friendly in Paris.

The EU said Wednesday that leaks from two Russia-Germany undersea gas pipelines appeared to be "a deliberate act", as Moscow said it would call for a UN Security Council meeting over the incident.

Kwasi Kwarteng has been finance minister for less than a month but is already in the firing line as Britain's economy teeters on the brink following his first policy announcement.

After worrying drone reports and the "sabotage" of Nord Stream's Baltic Sea pipelines, Europe's biggest gas supplier Norway is beefing up security at its energy installations, which experts have singled out as vulnerable targets.

Experts on Wednesday said they were encouraged after preliminary data for a new Alzheimer's drug showed it slowed cognitive decline, the first medicine to accomplish this goal.

Georgia opposition supporters on Wednesday rallied against "uncontrolled" migration from Russia, which has nearly doubled since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a mobilisation for the war in Ukraine.

Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter said Wednesday that higher England match fees could help stop players leaving the Premiership for bigger salaries abroad after Sam Simmonds agreed a move to Montpellier.

Guinea's oldest chimpanzee and one of the last members of a globally famous endangered community has died in solitude around the age of 71, the environment ministry said.

Iran was accused of killing seven people and wounding 28 in cross-border strikes Wednesday against Kurdish factions in Iraq that have deplored an ongoing protest crackdown in the Islamic republic.

Havana resident Maykel was helping his friend fix an "almendron" -- as the decades-old American cars that ply Cuba's streets are known -- when the lights suddenly cut out late Tuesday.

Hurricane Ian intensified to just shy of catastrophic Category 5 strength Wednesday as its heavy winds began pummelling the US state of Florida, with forecasters warning of life-threatening storm surges after leaving millions without power in Cuba.

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, just days after Pyongyang's last test and ahead of a visit to South Korea by US Vice President Kamala Harris.

A crucial step towards the demolition of the iconic San Siro begins on Wednesday when Milan hosts the first of a series of meetings with the public necessary for the new stadium proposed by the city's two footballing giants.

Outside an army recruitment centre in Saint Petersburg, women and children embrace Russian men called up to fight in Ukraine, whispering among each other where their loved ones will be sent.

Just weeks away from the start of a World Cup like no other, the poor form of Europe's powerhouses suggests there could be a changing of the guard in Qatar.

Global stock markets sank Wednesday and the dollar soared as investors fretted over recession fears and heightened Ukraine tensions.