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

Rookie coach Billy Slater steered Queensland to a sensational 16-10 win over New South Wales Wednesday in an epic clash to draw first blood in the best-of-three State of Origin rugby league series.

France's Mediterranean region, home to the Cannes Film Festival and palm-lined beaches that entice tourists from around the world, is seeing a ferocious battle between far-right factions for parliamentary polls this month with immigration the most contentious issue.

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, once the chiefs of world and European football, appeared in a Swiss court on Wednesday to face trial over a suspected fraudulent payment.

US biotech company Moderna on Wednesday announced positive results for a new vaccine that targets both the original Covid strain and Omicron.

The celebrated British-Portuguese artist Paula Rego has died aged 87 in London, her representative the Victoria Miro gallery said on Wednesday.

Reigning world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will "most likely" face off in a rematch with Britain's Anthony Joshua on August 20, Usyk's promoter told AFP on Wednesday.

Disney will not release blockbuster animation "Strange World" in French cinemas, it said Wednesday, in protest against the country's strict streaming rules.

Rafael Nadal is recovering at home after he underwent treatment on his injured left foot on Tuesday, as the French Open champion battles to be fit for Wimbledon.

The Taiwan edition of Hong Kong's Apple Daily newspaper has found a buyer which would retain most of its staff, the firm said Wednesday, pledging to continue to "speak out against any injustice".

After a romance that made headlines around the world when it was revealed in 2014, ex-president Francois Hollande has married actress Julie Gayet at a low-key ceremony in his political fiefdom in central France.

Spanish authorities are trying to find a brown bear and her cub which were separated after a brutal attack by a male bear that was caught on camera by two onlookers.

Belgium's King Philippe on Wednesday decorated the last surviving Congolese World War II veteran, on the second day of his historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Stock markets diverged Wednesday as investors weighed recession prospects and inflation around the world hit the highest levels in decades.

Global clothing giant Inditex, which owns Zara, posted Wednesday a surge in its first-quarter profits despite closing its stores in Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.

One person was killed and at least a dozen others injured when a car drove into a group of people at a busy shopping district in central Berlin on Wednesday, police said.

Japanese boxing champion Naoya Inoue reacted with horror on Wednesday after reports said his home had been burgled while he was busy taking down Nonito Donaire at a much-anticipated match.

Thomas Mueller says Germany must be more consistent and score wins over the top nations if they are to be considered among the favourites for the looming World Cup finals.

India's Mithali Raj on Wednesday announced her retirement from all international formats after 23 years dominating women's cricket as a batter and skipper.

Phil Mickelson said Wednesday he does not condone human rights violations in Saudi Arabia, on the eve of the first tournament of the divisive LIV Golf Invitational Series near London funded by the Gulf kingdom.

One person was killed and eight injured when a car drove into a group of people in central Berlin on Wednesday, the fire service said.

Officially it is just a research vessel, but China's newly unveiled drone carrier is a clear sign Beijing is rushing to deploy an autonomous swarm of unmanned devices in its push for military supremacy in the Pacific Ocean.

A Japanese man was jailed for 20 months on Wednesday for attacking a Thai academic in Japan where he lives in self-exile following his vocal criticism of the military and monarchy.

Belgium's King Philippe on Wednesday decorated the last surviving Congolese World War II veteran, an AFP correspondent said, during a historic visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

US President Joe Biden heads Wednesday to a Latin America summit on a mission to woo back the region as his administration pushed out pledges, including a plan to train half a million health workers.

The OECD warned Wednesday that the world economy will pay a "hefty price" for Russia's invasion of Ukraine as it slashed its 2022 growth forecast and projected higher inflation.

Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini, once the chiefs of world and European football, went on trial in Switzerland on Wednesday over a suspected fraudulent payment.

China has approved the release of dozens of new video games, sending the shares of some of its biggest tech firms soaring Wednesday on hopes that a long-running and painful crackdown on the sector is easing.

Indonesian police have arrested a fugitive accused of masterminding a lucrative scheme in his native Japan to defraud a government fund offering Covid-19 relief subsidies, officials said Wednesday.

Ukrainian forces may have to retreat from the eastern city of Severodonetsk which is being shelled by Russian troops "24 hours a day", an official said Wednesday, following days of raging street battles.

Cambodia and China on Wednesday broke ground on a Beijing-funded project to revamp a naval base that the US fears is intended for Chinese military use.

At least 17 people were killed and dozens injured Wednesday when a train derailed near the central Iranian city of Tabas after hitting an excavator, state media reported.

There are 1.4 billion people in India but none currently on the books of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).