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

The usually sleepy Laotian capital Vientiane has an uncharacteristic buzz, bedecked with flags and T-shirt vendors ahead of commemorations of 50 years of communist rule Tuesday, but for many young people history carries little weight.

New Zealand batting talisman Kane Williamson returns to the Test arena for the first time in a year to bolster the hosts' line-up in the first Test against the West Indies in Christchurch, which begins Tuesday.

Australia will soon ban under-16s from the likes of Facebook and TikTok, a world-first move of huge interest to all those worried about the harms of social media.

Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel on Monday to help victims of devastating flooding that has killed nearly 1,000 people across four countries in Asia in recent days.

Mia Bannister's skin is inked with a eulogy to her teenage son Ollie, whose suicide after a battle with anorexia and online bullying pushed her to fight for world-first laws in Australia to get children off social media.

The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder avenged their only defeat of the season on Sunday, using a fourth-quarter surge to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 123-115 and improve to 20-1.

Asian equities were mixed Monday with investors awaiting the release of key US data that could play a role in Federal Reserve deliberations ahead of an expected interest rate cut next week.

Sobs could be heard across Hong Kong's Victoria Park at the weekend as hundreds of migrant workers mourned victims of Hong Kong's worst fire in more than a century and prayed for missing friends.

Some 600 experts gather outside Paris on Monday to start work on the next major UN climate report, as the international consensus on global warming is challenged by climate change-sceptic US President Donald Trump.

World champions Spain were barely recognisable in the first leg of the women's Nations League final as they escaped from Germany with a goalless draw.

Pope Leo XIV is set to urge peace and unity on his second day in Lebanon on Monday, bringing a message of hope to young people whose faith in their crisis-hit country has dwindled.

Several thousand people rallied in Croatia's capital on Sunday in an anti-fascist march protesting against the rise of World War II revisionism and far-right views in the country.

US President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday he had recently spoken with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro amid soaring tensions between the two countries, while Caracas slammed what it called US preparations for an attack.

Bryce Young threw three touchdowns as the Carolina Panthers upset the in-form Los Angeles Rams 31-28 on Sunday as the NFL playoff race tightened.

Sales by the world's top 100 arms makers reached a record $679 billion last year, as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza boosted demand, researchers said Monday, but production issues hampered deliveries.

Polls closed Sunday in Honduras' knife-edge presidential election, after a campaign dominated by US President Donald Trump's threat to cut aid if a conservative candidate loses.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday there was a "good chance" of a deal to end the war in Ukraine after the latest US negotiations with Kyiv, as his envoy prepares to travel to Russia for follow-up talks.

Real Madrid were held to a third consecutive La Liga draw in a 1-1 tie at Girona on Sunday, allowing Barcelona to retain pole position.

Pau moved back up to second in the Top 14 with a 53-33 win over La Rochelle on Sunday after the visitors lost fly-half Antoine Hastoy to the fastest ever red card in the competition.

Real Madrid were held to a third consecutive La Liga draw in a 1-1 tie at Girona on Sunday, allowing Barcelona to retain pole position.

Napoli joined AC Milan at the top of Serie A on Sunday after winning 1-0 at title rivals Roma, as Inter Milan kept pace with the leading pair by beating Pisa 2-0.

American star Mikaela Shiffrin maintained her unbeaten start to the slalom season on Sunday with a dominant victory at the alpine skiing World Cup meeting in Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Disney's feel-good animated sequel "Zootopia 2" ruled the Thanksgiving box office in North America, taking in $156 million over the five-day holiday weekend, industry estimates showed Sunday.

Mikel Arteta insisted Arsenal deserved respect after the Premier League leaders battled to a bruising 1-1 draw with title rivals Chelsea at the end of a gruelling week.

Swedish pole vault star Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis and US track sensation Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone were named athletes of the year by World Athletics in Monaco on Sunday.

The United States and Ukraine on Sunday hailed "productive" talks on Washington's plan to halt Russia's war with its neighbor, but both sides also cautioned that the high-stakes negotiations were far from over.

McLaren team chief Andrea Stella admitted his team made a costly strategic blunder on Sunday that cost his title-chasing drivers a victory and a podium finish at the Qatar Grand Prix.

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta criticised the Football Association for a lack of support in a remarkable outburst after he was sent off against Liverpool on Sunday.

Mikel Merino rescued Arsenal as the Premier League leaders battled to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea in a heavyweight title clash, while Alexander Isak finally scored his first top-flight goal for troubled Liverpool in a 2-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused the United States late on Sunday of peddling "blatant misinformation" by claiming his country was killing white people.

Max Verstappen paid tribute to his Red Bull team and chief strategist Hannah Schmitz on Sunday after his stunning triumph at the Qatar Grand Prix catapulted him back into title contention.

Bath boss Johann van Graan compared Henry Arundell to South Africa great Bryan Habana after the England wing scored two key tries for the reigning Prem champions in a come-from-behind 36-29 win away to Saracens on Sunday that took them three points clear at the top of the table.

Mikel Merino rescued Arsenal as the Premier League leaders battled to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea in a heavyweight title clash, while Alexander Isak finally scored his first top-flight goal for troubled Liverpool in a 2-0 win at West Ham on Sunday.

Arne Slot agreed Alexander Isak's first Premier League goal for Liverpool was important for both the striker and the reigning English champions as they stopped the rot with a 2-0 win away to West Ham on Sunday.

Mikel Merino rescued Arsenal as the Premier League leaders battled to a 1-1 draw against 10-man Chelsea in a bad-tempered London derby on Sunday.

Florian Thauvin scored a brace to fire Lens to the top of the French Ligue 1 table with a 2-1 victory at Angers on Sunday.

Visiting Pope Leo XIV urged the Lebanese people on Sunday to embrace reconciliation and remain in their crisis-hit country, while calling on its leaders to put themselves fully at the service of their citizens.

Max Verstappen boosted his late bid for a fifth successive drivers' world championship on Sunday when he took full advantage of a McLaren strategic blunder to complete a sensational hat-trick of victories at the Qatar Grand Prix.

Henry Arundell scored the winning try as Bath came from behind to complete a 36-29 win away to Saracens on Sunday that took the reigning English champions three points clear at the top of the Prem table.