Pallade Veneta - News from Venice, Veneto, Venetia and Italy, as well as from around the world

Veteran UK Labour politician Andy Burnham emphatically won a crunch by-election on Friday, securing a parliamentary seat and clearing the way for a widely expected leadership challenge against beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Top ranked South Africa launch their 2026 season against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on Saturday with a warning from head coach Rassie Erasmus ahead of a 14-match schedule.

Roberto 'Pico' Lopes might have been whiling away his time as a mortgage advisor in Ireland instead of preparing to face Uruguay in the World Cup on Sunday had Shamrock Rovers not come calling.

About 100 guerrillas laid down their weapons Thursday in a jungle area of southern Colombia under a deal with leftist President Gustavo Petro, who has sought peace with armed rebels, AFP journalists witnessed.

Waikato Chiefs captain Tupou Vaa'i said Friday the Super Rugby final against the Wellington Hurricanes on Saturday is "the game that everyone wanted to see".

Merlin meets the journalists early in the afternoon after a busy morning at Mexico's biggest TV station. His agenda is jam-packed, going late into the night so he can join thousands of admirers at the World Cup "Fan Fest" in Mexico City.

US Vice President JD Vance postponed a trip to Switzerland for talks that were originally slated for Friday to discuss next steps with the US-Iran agreement on ending the war in the Middle East, according to the White House.

Two years after leaving the United States following a series of unsuccessful MLS tryouts, Yan Diomande is shining at the World Cup for Ivory Coast -- and still grieving a family tragedy.

Veteran prop James Slipper was named in coach Joe Schmidt's 37-strong Australia squad for the opening three Tests of the Nations Championship on Friday, with a trio of potential debutants also included.

Socceroos coach Tony Popovic said victory over the United States on Friday would earn his side "respect," in the wake of disparaging comments by US pundits about the Australian side that have triggered a long-brewing row.

New Zealand's World Cup social media sensation Tim Payne has capitalised on his newfound fame, with the defender announcing on Friday that he has signed for Paraguayan powerhouse Club Olimpia.

Like the protagonist in his taboo novel, former doctor-turned-author Yo Kusakabe believes chopping off elderly patients' useless limbs could help prevent a potential collapse of super-ageing Japan's overstressed care industry.

Wyndham Clark made an eagle and two birdies in three holes to seize a four-stroke lead when darkness halted Thursday's first round of the 126th US Open at blustery Shinnecock.

Scientists have long posited the earliest water animals to transition to land had amphibious tadpole features, going through a metamorphosis akin to that of today's frogs.

Cuban lawmakers on Thursday adopted nearly 200 free-market reforms in a desperate bid to end a severe crisis and secure the end of a crippling US fuel blockade.

Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to secure their first ever World Cup victory on Thursday as Switzerland reignited their campaign with a resounding defeat of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Is it goodbye Air Force One, hello Qatar Force One?

Members of Venezuela's interim government met with the country's opposition party Thursday to discuss a "roadmap for a dialogue on a democratic transition," the US State Department said.

Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes urged Brazil to move on from a disappointing performance in their World Cup opener as they prepare to face Haiti in Philadelphia on Friday.

Canada thrashed nine-man Qatar 6-0 to clinch their first ever World Cup victory on Thursday in a Group B match marred by a horrific injury to midfielder Ismael Kone.

Cuban lawmakers Thursday adopted nearly 200 historic free-market reforms aimed at rescuing the communist island from a severe crisis aggravated by a US oil blockade.

Counting was under way late Thursday in a historic UK by-election which could determine embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer's future, as a Labour rival eyeing a leadership bid vies for a parliamentary seat.

Swiss wunderkind Johan Manzambi on Thursday described coming off the bench at the World Cup to score twice in a 4-1 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina as a "childhood dream come true."

The United States is about to embark on difficult negotiations with the Iranian government, whose survival of a massive US-Israeli military assault has undercut American leverage while bolstering the Islamic republic.

Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler struggled to a two-over par 72 in Thursday's first round of the US Open, saying "good" shots were not good enough in punishing winds at Shinnecock.

Cuba on Thursday unveiled nearly 200 historic free-market reforms aimed at rescuing the communist island from a severe crisis aggravated by a US oil blockade.

Polls closed late Thursday in a historic UK by-election which could determine embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer's future, as a Labour rival eyeing a leadership bid vies for a parliamentary seat.

Super subs Johan Manzambi and Ruben Vargas fired Switzerland to a 4-1 win over 10-man Bosnia-Herzegovina in a late rush of goals in Los Angeles on Thursday.

England captain Ben Stokes could return to Test duty as soon as next week's series finale against New Zealand, several British media outlets reported Thursday.

Rory McIlroy was happy to see the US Golf Association slow the greens in Thursday's first round of the US Open with brutal winds testing top golfers at Shinnecock.

Almost all the passengers and crew of the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak who had to quarantine in the Netherlands are now allowed to return home, the WHO chief said Thursday.

Wall Street stocks bounced Thursday, pivoting back to buying mode after the pullback in the prior session prompted by a Federal Reserve policy outlook that signaled possible rate hikes ahead.

All living US ex-presidents -- with the notable absence of current White House occupant Donald Trump -- joined a star-studded lineup Thursday for the opening of Barack Obama's presidential center in Chicago.

Unheralded American Sam Stevens grabbed the early clubhouse lead in Thursday's first round of the US Open with Rory McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg only one stroke adrift.

A group linked to Al-Qaeda claimed Thursday's attack on the airport of Niger's capital, Niamey that killed at least 11 soldiers and two civilians, six months after other jihadists staged a large assault on the sensitive site.

Jude Bellingham arrived at the World Cup facing a battle to secure a place in England's starting line-up, but emphatically ended any debate with a barnstorming display against Croatia.

Matt Henry captured the prize wickets of England stand-in captain Joe Root and Harry Brook at the Oval on Thursday as New Zealand cashed in on Glenn Phillips's maiden Test century.

US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday issued an extraordinary rebuke to Israeli critics of the Iran deal, warning them not to alienate their "only powerful ally" left in the world.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that he had approved despite reservations a deal signed by President Donald Trump to end the Middle East war, as the US lifted a blockade of Iranian ports.