The German Ice Hockey Association (DEB) presented former Germany player Andre Rankel as the new coach of the men’s national team at a press conference in Munich on Thursday. Rankel, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with Eisbären Berlin, champions of Germany’s top division (the DEL), has never served as a head coach. DEB sport director Christian Künast stressed that he does not see this as a problem. “Andre is here today because he was the best [of the candidates interviewed for the job]. That’s the main point,” Künast said. “I simply don’t see Andre as a rookie coach. I’ve known him for a long time and I have had a lot of conversations with him about how you lead a team. He is ready to take over the national team and that’s the most important thing.” Rankel said he was “incredibly proud” to be named Germany coach.  “What I learned as...

Some of the world’s largest lakes could shrink substantially within this century, with far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and roughly a quarter of the global population living in affected regions. Although restoration efforts have proved successful in some cases, many inland bodies of water face extreme challenges. Caspian Sea: A shrinking giant Despite its name, the Caspian Sea is actually a lake. Bordered by Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, it is the largest inland water body on Earth. But its surface area has been rapidly receding since the 1990s. This shift is partly due to the use of dams and water-management practices in the Volga River basin. But hotter conditions driven by burning fossil fuels to power societies is also a contributing factor. Rising temperatures increase evaporation rates. Scientific models project that water levels could fall up to 21 meters (68 feet) by 2100. Even a decline of 10 meters could leave large parts of the shallow northern basin dry, eliminating nearly...

Caroline Wahl, 31, has published three novels to date. All three shot to the top of Germany‘s fiction bestseller lists. Now, her fourth book is set to be released on August 28: “1999 Meter über dem Meer” (1999 Meters Above Sea) tells the story of a young woman who takes on a false identity to mingle among the high society in St. Moritz, Switzerland. It is one of the most anticipated new books of the summer in Germany. So what is the secret to Caroline Wahl’s success? Debut with a bang Caroline Wahl’s breakthrough came with her first novel, from 2023: “22 Bahnen” (22 Lengths) sold more than a million copies in German-language editions. The story of the young student Tilda, who has to navigate everyday life alongside her alcoholic mother and her little sister, was praised by critics for its straightforward, modern writing style. What’s more, the novel managed to...

Saxony-Anhalt, a federal state in the center of Germany, boasts a rich cultural and historical heritage: Many of the world-famous architects associated with the Bauhaus in Dessau lived and worked here. The towns of Eisleben and, above all, Wittenberg preserve the memory of the great reformer Martin Luther. It was in Wittenberg that he famously nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church, setting the Reformation in motion. Saxony-Anhalt is home to the Chemical Triangle around Leuna and Bitterfeld in the eastern part of the state, which still provides around 10,000 jobs. To the west lies the Harz mountain range, while the River Elbe, one of Europe’s major waterways, flows through the state from southeast to north. The southern part of Saxony-Anhalt is being forced to reinvent itself as it undergoes structural change following the decision to phase out lignite coal. Unemployment remains slightly above the national average....

“A year ago, I told my team that we need to step things up by two gears, and we did that,” Schalke‘s second-year coach, Miron Muslic, told the club’s website ahead of this season’s return to the Bundesliga. “Now we need to step things up by two gears all over again. At first glance it may sound like a threat, too dramatic, but this is what we will need to meet this challenge. The lads know this and we are confident that we have a higher gear in us.” The challenge for Muslic is not simply to avoid relegation in year one after three seasons in the second division, but to “establish ourselves in the Bundesliga.” It will also be Muslic’s first season in the Bundesliga after he succeeded where several of his predecessors failed – guiding the Royal Blues back to the topflight. ‘Where did this guy come from?’ It’s something...

Germans are spending less of their free time socializing with friends and more on individually planned and digital activities, according to a survey published on Tuesday. Meeting friends remains the most important social leisure activity, but its role has weakened significantly over time. How Germans are spending their free time now The Hamburg Foundation for Future Studies found that just 19% of 3,000 respondents said they regularly went out with friends, down from 37% when its first “Leisure Monitor” was conducted 40 years ago. “Traditional sociability is losing reach, while social contacts are increasingly shifting toward individually planned and digital forms,” said Ulrich Reinhardt, the foundation’s scientific director. He said everyday leisure was increasingly dominated by internet use, television, music and smartphones. Digital activities have grown sharply: 82% listen to music digitally at least weekly, up from 52% in 2016. 71% use social media weekly, up from 48%. 33% play...

The 64th season of the Bundesliga is here. The tiny team from Elversberg will become the 59th club to play in the league, Ismael Saibari is Harry Kane’s new back-up at Bayern Munich, Schalke return after three years away, and Kathleen Krüger is Head of Sport at Hamburg.  Coming off an XXL World Cup and a new broadcasting deal in the US, the Bundesliga is looking to step forward into a new era. But beyond the loyal support of club fans both domestic and abroad, has the international appeal of the league, particulary in the key US market, worn off? “It would be hard to argue that the Bundesliga has not suffered some back-sliding in their standing. When Bayern and Dortmund met in the Champions League final [in 2013], I believed it was just the league announcing its superiority with intent to stay at the pinnacle of club football in Europe. I...

The list of international composers who have written for star violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is a long one. It features names like Krzysztof Penderecki and Sofia Gubaidulina, along with Andre Previn and Jörg Widmann. In recent years, women like Iranian-Dutch composer Aftab Darvishi and South Korean composer Unsuk Chin have also written works for Mutter. On the occasion of the violinist’s 50th stage anniversary, she’s now recorded over 30 works either dedicated to her or commissioned by her — all part of her “ASM Forte Forward” project on the Alpha Classics label. Anne-Sophie Mutter is deeply committed to social causesImage: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa/picture alliance The first album in the series, “East Meets West,” reflects not just the artist’s musical passions but also her social engagement. The opening “Likoo for Solo Violin,” composed by Aftab Darvishi for Mutter in 2024, leaves a powerful impression. “Likoo” is a lament about loss, written at a time when...

Migrants clashed with police at a detention center in northern Greece, with 35 having escaped the premises after cutting through a perimeter fence before police detained about half of them again, authorities said on Sunday. Greece is a major point of entry for migrants to Europe, and the country’s conservative prime minister has introduced tough rules to deport those who’ve been denied asylum in the country. Greece, along with other European Union countries, for example, is in talks with African countries about establishing centers for failed asylum-seekers, a move that has drawn criticism from international rights groups. Crete fears more migrant arrivals could hurt tourism To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police deploy flashbangs during clashes Police said they called for reinforcement to the detention center in Sintiki, a few kilometers from the Bulgarian border, after migrants threw...

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane has been named men’s Player of the Year in Germany after a record-breaking season for the Bundesliga champions. Bayern coach Vincent Kompany was voted trainer of the year, while Germany defender Giulia Gwinn completed a clean sweep for the Munich club by winning the women’s Player of the Year award. “A Bayern double — never before have the men and women’s Player of the Year awards gone to the same club. Congratulations to Harry and Giulia, as well as our coach Vincent,” Bayern president Herbert Hainer said in a club statement. “When men’s and women’s football makes history together, then that’s Bayern, making a mark. We’re proud of this result.” Why was Harry Kane named Germany’s footballer of the year? Kane received 272 votes from members of the Association of German Sports Journalists, comfortably ahead of Bayern teammate Michael Olise on 203. Stuttgart and Germany striker...