Russia-backed hackers target German legislators: report

The roots of conflict between Russia and Ukraine run deep. It all boils down to Moscow's unwillingness to accept Ukrane's independence. An overview.

The government of Mali has denied using Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group. Western countries involved in fighting jihadis in the Sahel beg to differ.

A Berlin-based human rights group says top clothing retailers may be sourcing Xinjiang cotton that has allegedly been picked using forced labor. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights has filed a criminal complaint in a federal court in Germany.

The Greek and Tunisian coast guards have also reported successful rescue missions. Nonetheless, dozens of people have died in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean over the past several days.

Former US State Department specialist Michael Kimmage talks to DW’s Brent Goff on "The Day" about Russia's intentions with its military buildup on the border with Ukraine. Kimmage said that despite the unity between the US and Europe and the threat of tough sanctions, Moscow actually has more leverage now than during the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Russian historian Yuri Dmitriyev, who also serves as a local head of Memorial rights group, was found guilty of abusing his adopted daughter. His supporters say charges against him are politically motivated.

For the final episode of our series on the fall of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, we take you where a significant part of the public relations war between the US and USSR took place: outer space. James André, Sylvain Rousseau and Achraf Abid have delved into the video archives, and interviewed astronauts and experts to find out how the Russian space agency has evolved over the past three decades.

Russia's Supreme Court has ordered the closure of the human rights group Memorial International that documents Soviet-era repression. DW correspondent Juri Rescheto spoke to a woman whose family experienced persecution by the Stalin regime.

Fifty-one people have been killed in Russia's worst mining disaster in a decade, prompting three days of mourning in Siberia's Kemerovo region. Among the dead were five rescue workers, although a sixth was found alive and taken to hospital in a serious condition. The blast happened at the Listvyazhnaya mine when coal dust caught fire in a ventilation shaft on Thursday. Rescuers suffocated as they tried to reach dozens of missing miners.

German IS returnee Jennifer W. is one of the first people worldwide to receive a prison sentence for war crimes against Yazidis in Iraq.

US President Joe Biden is expected to offer Russian leader Vladimir Putin a "diplomatic path" to defusing tensions over Ukraine. The West is alarmed at a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine.

Germany's new government will face several domestic and international challenges in the new year. Still, a sense of optimism prevails.