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

The ritual is always the same. Mario Prushi carefully washes his hands and face before kissing and pressing one of the world's smallest Korans to his forehead.

Major green energy projects are sprouting up across Spain as it seeks to position itself as a future green energy leader -- but experts have urged caution over costs and demand uncertainty.

"Jesus told me that the work he gave me had come to an end," said Kenyan self-styled pastor Paul Mackenzie Nthenge, explaining his 2019 decision to close the Good News International Church.

Weeks after a health scare, Pope Francis heads to Hungary Friday to meet Ukrainian refugees and nationalist leader Viktor Orban, with whom he has not always seen eye to eye.

The streets of Havana are quieter than usual -- many of the rattling old cars the city is known for stand idle amid Cuba's worst fuel shortage in years.

The EU on Wednesday is to unveil a long-awaited proposed reform of legislation governing pharmaceutical drugs to make them cheaper, prevent shortages and speed up delivery of new compounds.

Trae Young nailed a last-gasp three-pointer as the Atlanta Hawks stunned the Boston Celtics 119-117 to keep their Eastern Conference playoff series alive on Tuesday.

Drought has forced Panama's authorities to reduce shipping traffic in the canal that links the Atlantic and Pacific as a water supply crisis threatens the future of this crucial waterway.

Exhausted, elated and cradling her newborn daughter in a rundown government hospital, young mother Manu Bala had just helped make India the world's most populous nation.

Singapore on Wednesday hanged a prisoner convicted of conspiracy to smuggle one kilogram of cannabis, authorities said, ignoring international calls for the city-state to abolish capital punishment.

A slick new video that has gone viral on Russian social media platforms shows a taxi driver, a security guard and a fitness coach at work.

The United States has taken a lead in trying to end a burst of violence in Sudan but it faces a tough road ahead with limited power to rein in warring generals.

The tarpaulins and scaffolding that obscured the facade of Tiffany and Co's flagship New York jewelry store for years have finally come down ahead of its re-opening this week.

Tottenham face Manchester United on Thursday in the caretaker charge of their third manager of the season, with open revolt among the fanbase and a risk of losing the club's greatest ever goalscorer.

Multiple nations have scrambled to evacuate embassy staff and citizens by road, air and sea from chaos-torn Sudan, where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed hundreds.

More than a million children in the UK received food aid in the past 12 months, an increase of 300,000 from a year earlier, as the country battles a cost of living crisis, latest figures showed Wednesday.

Japanese start-up ispace conceded Wednesday its attempt to become the first company to land on the Moon had ended in failure, but pledged to move ahead with new missions.

Donald Trump raped a prominent former American columnist then "ridiculed" her with defamatory comments, a US civil trial hearing a lawsuit against the ex-president was told Tuesday.

South Africa is not planning to quit the International Criminal Court, as earlier suggested by President Cyril Ramaphosa, his office said Tuesday, citing a communication error from the ruling ANC party.

Girona striker Taty Castellanos hit an incredible four goals as his side thrashed champions Real Madrid 4-2 in La Liga on Tuesday, helping leaders Barcelona edge closer to the trophy.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admitted the tension of the Premier League title race is getting to him as his side close in on Arsenal ahead of Wednesday's top-of-the-table clash.

Google parent company Alphabet beat market expectations in the first quarter of 2023 with a net profit of $15 billion, the company said on Tuesday, in a sign that the search engine behemoth is regaining its footing.

Celebrating its 100th year, Warner Bros unveiled a packed lineup of new big-screen films at CinemaCon on Tuesday, from a live-action "Barbie" comedy to Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg's remake of "The Color Purple."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday interrupted a live television interview before returning and apologising, saying he had developed a stomach bug.

Wall Street stocks finished sharply lower Tuesday after dismal First Republic results revived worries about banks, adding to recession fears following lackluster US consumer data.

The mummy of a teenager who lived roughly 800-1,200 years ago, complete with skin fragments and tufts of hair, has been unearthed on the outskirts of the Peruvian capital Lima, the leader of the excavation team said Tuesday.

Aston Villa moved up to fifth in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Fulham on Tuesday, as Leeds and Leicester played out a 1-1 draw in the battle to beat the drop.

Girona striker Taty Castellanos became the first player to score four goals in one game against Real Madrid in La Liga since 1947 in his side's 4-2 triumph on Tuesday.

Google parent company Alphabet beat market expectations in the first quarter of 2023 with a net profit of $15 billion, the company said on Tuesday, in a sign that the search engine behemoth is regaining its footing.

Just before Joe Biden announced his much-anticipated 2024 re-election bid Tuesday, his Republican opponents took aim at the US president in an unexpected way – they rolled out a website to "fact check" him.

French director Catherine Corsini dismissed claims about on-set harassment and the presence of a child in a sex scene on Tuesday following criticism over her inclusion in the Cannes Film Festival.

British American Tobacco has agreed to pay more than $600 million to settle charges it sold cigarette materials to North Korea for years in violation of US sanctions, the US Justice Department announced Tuesday.