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

Ange Postecoglou hailed the professionalism of Tottenham captain Son Heung-min ahead of his quick return for Saturday's clash with Brighton following South Korea's Asian Cup exit.

Wall Street's broad-based S&P 500 broke the 5,000-point mark on Friday but global stock markets fluctuated as traders digested another series of company results and revisions to US inflation data.

Polish farmers on Friday staged blockades across the country to protest competition from Ukraine and heavy EU regulations, with Warsaw hinting it could impose new import bans on Ukrainian agricultural products.

Candidates loyal to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan edged ahead in Pakistan's election Friday, in front of the two dynastic parties believed favoured by the military, as the vote count entered its final leg.

Caelan Doris, seen by many as a future Ireland captain, gets a chance to prove his credentials as he will skipper the Irish in their Six Nations match against Italy on Sunday.

Star full-back Ange Capuozzo and scrum-half Stephen Varney make their return to Italy's starting XV to play Ireland in the second round of the Six Nations in Dublin on Saturday.

No single player symbolises Ivory Coast's remarkable turnaround to reach this weekend's Africa Cup of Nations final quite like striker Sebastien Haller.

Prince Harry on Friday settled a long-running legal claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), nearly two months after a UK judge ruled he had been a victim of phone hacking by its tabloid titles.

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso said his side need to be "almost perfect" to beat Bayern Munich on Saturday, despite the German champions' injury concerns.

Erik ten Hag believes Manchester United's emerging young stars will enjoy a bright future at Old Trafford if they retain their hunger to improve.

England's Will Stuart says he has known since boyhood just how much rides on a game against Wales as he prepares for Saturday's Six Nations clash at Twickenham.

British museums, like others across Europe, are under pressure to return artworks taken during the colonial era, including Bronzes from Benin, royal treasures from Ghana and friezes from Greece.

Polish farmers on Friday staged blockades at border checkpoints with Ukraine to protest competition from its neighbour as Warsaw hinted it could impose new import bans on Ukrainian agricultural products.

Candidates loyal to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan edged ahead in Pakistan's election Friday, in front of the two dynastic parties believed favoured by the military with just over half the count completed.

Senegalese were urged on Friday to turn out and show their opposition to a last-minute delay of presidential polls, in a test of the balance of power between President Macky Sall and opponents.

The Ukrainian army needs to change its "methods" to win the war against Russia, Kyiv's new commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Friday in his first comments in the role.

Europe's main stock markets steadied Friday as traders reacted to more earnings updates from top companies, while awaiting revisions to US inflation data.

A group of Russian tourists arrived in Pyongyang on Friday, AFP reporters saw, the first known foreign tour group to visit nuclear-armed North Korea since before pandemic-linked border closures.

Two broken fingers in a rugby match changed everything for Seiji Ozawa, the celebrated Japanese conductor who blazed a trail in classical music, connecting Eastern traditions with the West.

French luxury giant Hermes posted on Friday record annual sales and net profit, with plans to reward all employees worldwide with a bonus following strong growth in every region last year.

Jordan's run to Saturday's Asian Cup final is all the more remarkable for the decrepit state of football infrastructure at home and the financial struggles of domestic teams and players.

Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya on Friday appealed for help funding her legal battle against regulations requiring female athletes with high testosterone to take medication as she prepares for a May hearing at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Israel launched new air strikes Friday on the city of Rafah in Gaza's far south, after US President Joe Biden said its response to Hamas's October 7 attack has been "over the top".

Young Chinese flocking home for Lunar New Year this weekend have turned to an AI chatbot game to help train for the most dreaded social interaction of the year -- the dinner table interrogation by nosy relatives.

Ex-England flanker Brad Shields is embracing the challenge of replacing All Blacks star Ardie Savea as captain of the Wellington Hurricanes after turbulent times at his former club Wasps.

Candidates loyal to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan were edging ahead in Pakistan's election, in front of the two dynastic parties believed to be favoured by the military, as delayed results trickled in.

Qatar captain Hassan Al-Haydos said the Asian Cup hosts and defending champions have proved their critics wrong by reaching Saturday's final against Jordan.

EU states and lawmakers will hold final-stretch talks on Friday to try and strike a deal on budget reforms aimed at boosting investment while keeping spending under control.

A Nazi henchman as a drooling gorilla with a swastika armband. Adolf Hitler as a dancing clown. Cheeky send-ups of Joseph Goebbels's lies.

Motoring down the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal in England's West Midlands, Neil Cocksedge's narrowboat at first sight looks like most other vessels plying the country's famous network of scenic inland waterways.

The colourful lion blinks and bobs up and down to the beat of a drum, appearing like any other traditional Lunar New Year performance with one difference –- it is operated by an 80-year-old man sitting in a wheelchair.

An Australian man went on trial in London this week over his claims of inventing bitcoin -- not the first time someone has been linked to being the cryptocurrency's enigmatic creator.