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

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.

Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata stunned Czech second seed Jiri Lehecka with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9/7) victory to reach the Queen's Club quarter-finals on Thursday.

Videos appearing to show people with Down syndrome and urging users to buy from their struggling businesses pull in millions of views, but many of them are AI-generated fakes.

Aidan O'Brien has said some people might think him "weird" as he finds holidays "stressful" but for his wife Anne-Marie he is the most successful racing trainer in the world because "he puts everything he has into what he does".

Tottenham signed Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for a reported fee of £52 million ($68 million) on Thursday.

Ian Botham has criticised dropped England captain Ben Stokes for breaking a team curfew, with the cricket great saying he does not see "how you justify what happened".

Liverpool have won the race to sign Spain forward Victor Munoz from Osasuna for a reported fee of £34.5 million ($45.5 million).

Cristian Chivu signed on Thursday a one-year contract extension with Inter Milan until 2028 after guiding the Serie A giants to a league and cup double in his first full season as a senior coach.

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

Ghana hosted a landmark global conference on Thursday seeking to translate growing political support for slavery reparations into practical commitments towards justice.

World number two Elena Rybakina crashed out of the Wimbledon warm-up WTA tournament in Berlin on Thursday losing 7-5, 6-4 to Filipino wildcard Alexandra Eala.

Scotland captain Andy Robertson urged his team to build on their opening World Cup win against Haiti and get a result against Morocco on Friday which would help propel them into the knockout rounds of the tournament for the very first time.

Teboho Mokoena's penalty kept South Africa's dream of reaching the World Cup knockout stages for the first time alive after a 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic in Atlanta on Thursday.

Tens of thousands of New York Knicks fans flooded Manhattan on Thursday for a heavily guarded victory parade, turning the city into a sea of blue and orange to mark their basketball team's NBA Finals victory.

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane all made blistering starts to the World Cup. And then there was Cristiano Ronaldo.

Europe risks "total technological irrelevance" if it fails to develop sovereign capabilities, the head of Canadian AI startup Cohere warned Thursday on the sidelines of the Vivatech trade fair in Paris.

EU leaders debated on Thursday whether the bloc needs new beefed-up trade defences to curb a surge of Chinese exports deemed an existential threat to European industry and jobs by Brussels.

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.

US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the deal to end the Iran war, saying he would likely head to Switzerland for talks to turn it into a long-term agreement.

Jenny Simpson, an Olympic bronze medallist and former 1,500m world champion, has shown "encouraging improvement" after collapsing at an all-comers meeting in North Carolina, sponsor Fleet Feet said Thursday.

Ivory Coast forward Elye Wahi has been authorised to enter Canada for his country's second World Cup match against Germany, after initially being denied a visa over reported spot-fixing allegations, a source close to the player said on Thursday.

Israel's foreign minister said Thursday he was severing all contact with the European Union's top diplomat over reported remarks in which she allegedly compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.

The US on Thursday lifted a blockade of Iranian ports imposed during the Middle East war after President Donald Trump signed a deal to end the conflict, as uncertainty surrounded planned talks in Switzerland aiming to take the accord further.

Brazilian police investigating a banking scandal carried out raids Thursday against targets including a senator allied with President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, bringing the affair closer to his government as he seeks reelection in October.

Blustery Shinnecock took a toll on the world's top golfers in Thursday's first round of the US Open, where big names tumbled from the top and leaders battled to stay under par.

Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday announced the signing of Portuguese winger Afonso Moreira from Lyon until 2031 for a reported transfer fee of 30 million euros ($34 million) plus bonuses.

Videos appearing to show people with Down syndrome and urging users to buy from their struggling businesses pull in millions of views, but many of them are AI-generated fakes.

An attack on the international airport in Niger's capital Thursday killed at least 11 soldiers and two civilians, officials said, months after jihadists staged a large assault on the sensitive site.

A 30-year-old man died on an athletics track outside Paris on Thursday, as a new heatwave swept across much of France, forcing the cancellation of dozens of trains and the suspension of classes.

Oil prices dropped further Thursday after US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed off on a deal to end four months of war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tanker and cargo traffic.

Neymar will not travel with the Brazil squad for Friday's second World Cup group game against Haiti as he continues his recovery from a calf injury.

Antoine Dupont will start for Toulouse in their Top 14 semi-final against Racing 92 on Friday, but kicker Thomas Ramos is out injured.

Aidan O'Brien became the first trainer to train 100 Royal Ascot winners as Scandinavia won the feature race the Ascot Gold Cup in a thrilling finish on Thursday.