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

With the Beijing Olympics into their second week, there's already been plenty of drama, both on and off the ice and snow.

Hundreds of headbanging metalheads rock out to the roaring guitars and thundering drums of Thai band Defying Decay, chanting along to their latest politically charged tune.

Canadian-born Kaillie Humphries is in pole position to win her first Olympic gold for her adopted USA as the three-time medallist opened a big overnight lead in Sunday's first two heats of the women's monobob.

NBA superstar LeBron James became the highest scoring player in combined regular season and playoff history, surpassing Los Angeles Lakers icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Saturday night.

Sport's top court was to hold a hearing Sunday to decide the Beijing Olympics fate of 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva after she failed a drugs test, as snow disrupted the Games.

Swiss favourite Marco Odermatt looked to be reversing his fortunes after a disappointing start to his Olympic campaign as he topped the timings in the first leg of the men's giant slalom on Sunday.

For literature lovers in sanction-hit Iran, a new novel has long provided a brief respite from a grinding economic crisis triggered by international pressure imposed over Tehran's contested nuclear programme.

Californian-born Chinese sensation Eileen Gu's bid for a second gold medal at the Beijing Games was held up Sunday when women's freeski slopestyle qualification was postponed because of heavy snow.

Soaring energy prices have brought massive profits to oil majors -- along with fierce criticism from environmentalists and politicians at a time when consumers are left with rising bills.

Red clothing and underwear are displayed in Saudi shopfronts, but the increasingly popular Valentine's Day promotions are missing one thing: the festival's name.

The Swiss head to the polls Sunday to decide whether to ban almost all advertising of tobacco products and separately on a blanket ban on all animal testing.

Chilean truck drivers lifted road blockades they had imposed to protest the killing of a colleague, after the government pledged new safety measures on Saturday.

Cyclone Dovi caused power outages, mudslides and evacuations across New Zealand on Sunday, but neither the storm nor the music of Barry Manilow could dislodge anti-vaccine protesters camped outside parliament.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is poised to be re-elected on Sunday for a second straight term, after gaining a reputation as a tireless defender of democratic values at a time when resurging far-right extremism and the coronavirus pandemic were putting them to the test.

Canadian demonstrators led by truckers angry over Covid-19 restrictions defied police and kept occupying a key bridge Saturday, while thousands more rallied in the capital as a two-week-old protest showed no signs of abating.

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's close friendship with President Vladimir Putin and lucrative business dealings with Russia have for years been reluctantly tolerated at home.

Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions Saturday, with US President Joe Biden warning that Russia faces "swift and severe costs" if its troops carry out an invasion.

A star-studded Los Angeles Rams will seek to deny the giant-killing Cincinnati Bengals a Hollywood ending in the Super Bowl on Sunday as an NFL season full of plot twists reaches its climax.

Peruvian President Pedro Castillo has adopted a unique measure in a bid to lift his falling popularity and resolve a series of political crises: he has ditched his iconic white cowboy hat.

Sam Bankman-Fried donned a suit and tie this week, abandoning his preferred hoodie and dark T-shirt for a hearing before US Senators.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk often touts the arrival of completely autonomous vehicles as imminent, but exactly how close that future is for the electric automaker remains murky.

Ignoring US concerns, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is due to arrive in Russia Tuesday for an official visit with highly awkward diplomatic timing, amid the tense standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.

Rookie Sahith Theegala closed with a stunning par save to fire a two-under par 69 and seize a one-stroke lead after Saturday's third round of the US PGA Phoenix Open.

England fast bowler Stuart Broad on Sunday said his controversial axing from the team to tour the West Indies was delivered in a "five-minute phone call" which has "affected my sleep".

A brief meeting between Major League Baseball officials and players union representatives on Saturday did little to allay fears the 2022 season could be delayed over economic issues.

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel described winning the Club World Cup as an "incomparable feeling" as the European champions got their hands on the last major trophy missing from their cabinet.

Canadian police on Saturday worked to clear a key bridge of truckers protesting Covid-19 restrictions, even as authorities in Ottawa braced for renewed demonstrations expected to bring thousands to the federal capital.

Top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his first final since last year's French Open when he came back from a set down to defeat Czech qualifier Jiri Lehecka in the Rotterdam semi-finals on Saturday.

Chilean truck drivers angry over the death of a colleague in a roadside fight with hitchhikers blocked highways Saturday to demand more workplace safety.

Former guerrilla Hugo Torres Jimenez, one of 46 opposition figures jailed since last year by the Nicaraguan government of President Daniel Ortega, died on Saturday, his family said in a statement.

Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions Saturday, with the White House insisting that Russia faces "swift and severe costs" if its troops carry out an invasion.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell praised the "spirit" and "character" of his side after they came from 22-7 down early in the second-half to agonisingly lose 30-24 to France in a thrilling Six Nations clash on Saturday.

France head coach Fabien Galthie said he is not thinking about winning the Six Nations despite Saturday's impressive 30-24 victory over Ireland.

Inter Milan maintained their one-point lead at the top of Serie A on Saturday with a 1-1 draw at title rivals Napoli which gives AC Milan the chance to claim top spot.

Manchester City restored their 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Raheem Sterling's hat-trick put Norwich to the sword 4-0, while Manchester United's chances of just making the top four stumbled again in a 1-1 draw against Southampton on Saturday.

Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich said his side need to question their mentality after they slumped to a shock 4-2 loss at Bundesliga minnows Bochum ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Red Bull Salzburg.

Kai Havertz scored a penalty deep into extra time as Chelsea defeated Palmeiras 2-1 in the Club World Cup final on Saturday to complete their collection of major trophies.

Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions Saturday, with the White House insisting that Russia faces "swift and severe costs" if its troops carry out an invasion.

Manchester City powered 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League as Raheem Sterling's hat-trick inspired a 4-0 win against Norwich on Saturday.