Author: Deutsche Presse-Agentur - Dpa

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Germany still feels a “hangover from the Schumacher era” in Formula One. “It’s a strange German phenomenon, and nobody can really explain it,” Wolff told Stuttgarter Zeitung in an interview. He explained that Germany hasn’t hosted a Grand Prix in some time, despite holding two races a year during Michael Schumacher’s dominance. Additionally, Formula One is no longer regularly available on free-to-air TV, with only seven races airing this year. “There were always great German drivers, most recently Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel,” Wolff recalled. But neither Vettel, who won four world titles from…

The war in Ukraine has left tens of thousands of people dead, destroyed homes and created millions of refugees, but it has also caused severe environmental damage, Ukrainian Environment Minister Svitlana Hryntchuk told the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku. The environmental damage caused by military operations following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 is estimated at $71 billion, Hryntchuk said on Tuesday. In addition, an additional 180 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been released into the atmosphere due to shelling and forest fires, she said. According to the minister, roughly 3 million hectares of forest…

North Korea is supplying Russia with up to 15,000 soldiers, as well as heavy artillery and ammunition, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported on Wednesday. Citing the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in Seoul, Yonhap said intelligence services believe that between 12,000 and 15,000 North Korean troops have been assigned to the Russian military and that some have already been deployed against Ukrainian forces. Yonhap also said that Pyongyang had provided Russia with heavy artillery including self-propelled howitzers and rocket launchers, confirming a report by the Financial Times on Saturday. The UK-based newspaper said some 50 M1989 Koksan self-propelled howitzers…

Former Germany coach Joachim Löw has said he could return to the dugout if he receives an interesting national team job offer. Löw, 64, led Germany to the 2014 World Cup title during his 15-year reign 2006-2021. He has not coached since then and told broadcasters SWR on Sunday night that he was not interested in coaching a Bundesliga club, but only a national team, “if it really interests me and I find the task exciting. “So far, I haven’t been absolutely and passionately gripped by a task. If that happens, then I’m certainly ready to do something again,” Löw…

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called on his country’s military to focus all efforts on completing war preparations, state news agency KCNA reported on Monday. KCNA reported Kim as describing the Korean peninsula as “the world’s biggest hotspot,” in a speech delivered to battalion commanders in Pyongyang on Friday. Kim also accused the US and South Korea of having brought tensions in the peninsula “to the worst phase in history,” KCNA reported. On Saturday the Financial Times reported, citing sources, that North Korea is now supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine not only with soldiers and ammunition…

A NATO spokeswoman expressed sharp criticism of massive overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and said the alliance would continue to support Kiev. “NATO strongly condemns Russia’s large-scale attack against Ukraine, that has killed and terrorized civilians and targeted critical energy infrastructure,” the spokeswoman said. “We stand by Ukraine, and allies continue to make unprecedented contributions to Ukraine’s defences,” she added. She noted that in response to the war, NATO had strengthened its air and missile defence and said it would continue to assess its posture and defend all members.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk queried the usefulness of a phone call between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine in a post on X on Sunday. “No one will stop Putin with phone calls,” Tusk posted. The massive Russian overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had shown that “phone diplomacy” could not replace genuine support for Ukraine from the West as a whole. “The coming weeks will be decisive, not only for the war itself, but also for our future,” Tusk predicted.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk queried the usefulness of a phone call between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine in a post on X on Sunday. “No one will stop Putin with phone calls,” Tusk posted. The massive Russian overnight attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure had shown that “phone diplomacy” could not replace genuine support for Ukraine from the West as a whole. “The coming weeks will be decisive, not only for the war itself, but also for our future,” Tusk predicted.

Diego Forlan embraced a new chapter in his athletic career, stepping onto the tennis court at home in Uruguay despite a tough doubles loss. The former Manchester United star entered the Uruguay Open in Montevideo with a wild-card entry, joining the Challenger Tour event just a tier below the elite ATP circuit. Paired with Argentina’s Federico Coria, ranked No. 101, Forlan faced a 6-1, 6-2 defeat against Bolivia’s Boris Arias and Federico Zeballos. Yet the result mattered little to the 45-year-old soccer legend, who represented Uruguay more than 100 times and was simply savoring his venture into a different professional…

Two years after Germany’s disappointing World Cup campaign in Qatar, captain Joshua Kimmich continues to reflect on the team’s actions, both on and off the pitch, and cautioned against repeating similar mistakes in the 2034 edition in Saudi Arabia. The tournament was marred by controversy over Qatar’s human rights record, with many fans and pundits criticizing the national team for overly engaging in the debate, which many believe contributed to their poor performance and early group-stage exit. Ahead of Germany’s Nations League match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday, Kimmich admitted that, as a team, federation, and nation, Germany “didn’t make a…