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

Sanctioned by Ukraine in the past over his close ties to Russia, Dmytro Firtash, one of the country's wealthiest citizens, made international headlines this week for saying he is sheltering hundreds of Ukrainians in his chemical factory.

When John Kani launched his acting career in the 1960s, the only stage he could find was an empty snake pit at a shuttered South African museum.

On a hillside overlooking the azure blue waters of Greece's Leros island harbour, a small group of workers in protective gear are busy smoking beehives.

Australia coach Dave Rennie admitted Sunday that the three-Test clash against England would be the biggest challenge of his tenure as he named an expanded squad missing Reece Hodge and Kurtley Beale but with uncapped former rugby league star Suliasi Vunivalu.

Next to a palm tree, the Union Jack hangs limply on a pole outside a simple courthouse built decades ago on this eastern Mediterranean island.

To many they are art's next big thing -- digital images of jellyfish pulsing and blurring in a dark pink sea, or dozens of butterflies fusing together into a single organism.

Auckland Blues playmaker Beauden Barrett declared it is "the final everyone wanted" as his team and the Canterbury Crusaders set about patching up their wounded Sunday for next weekend's Super Rugby Pacific showdown.

A state-of-the-art port in Istanbul with an underground terminal, a celebrity chef's restaurant and a shopping centre, welcomes yet another 5,000-passenger cruise ship, bringing more cash to Turkey's struggling tourism industry.

The World Trade Organization gathers ministers in Geneva Sunday to tackle pressing issues including global food security threatened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, overfishing and equitable access to Covid vaccines.

China will "fight to the very end" to stop Taiwanese independence, the country's defence minister vowed Sunday, stoking already soaring tensions with the United States over the island.

A Norwegian climber is on track to beat the time record for summiting the globe's 14 highest peaks, part of her quest to change how the mountaineering world views women athletes.

The chair of a September 11, 2001, attacks victims' families group says members are outraged by the "betrayal" of US golfers playing in the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Expect some uncomfortable moments for Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson at this week's US Open, where LIV Golf rebels and US PGA loyalists chase a major title in formidable conditions.

Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed Sunday he was introduced to his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe at Singapore's Shangri-La Dialogue, the first such contact between the nations in more than two years.

Red-hot US inflation is showing few signs of cooling, putting the Federal Reserve on track to continue its aggressive interest rate increases to help cool high prices that are challenging Joe Biden's presidency.

Surging energy costs are being felt across the US economy with varying effects. Some consumers are absorbing higher costs, while others are shifting behavior or cutting back.

As a tiny cub four years ago, Frida the Bengal tiger was found chained up in a restaurant parking lot in Mexico City, dirty, emaciated and unable to walk.

Looking resplendent in a bejewelled red ball gown, Brazilian beauty queen Eloa Rodrigues knows how lucky she is: in the world's deadliest country for trans people, she is daring to live out her dreams.

Odile Schalit is preparing for "the worst."

France goes to the polls on Sunday in the first round of parliamentary elections, with a resurgent and newly unified left seeking to thwart President Emmanuel Macron's plans for reform.

Former rugby league star Suliasi Vunivalu was among six uncapped players in an expanded Australia squad named Sunday for a three-Test series against England as the Wallabies look to snap a long losing streak against Eddie Jones's men.

Mo Donegal won the 154th Belmont Stakes on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher a one-two finish ahead of stablemate Nest in the 1 1/2-mile event as Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike finished sixth.

Swedish rookie Frida Kinhult fired a four-under par 67 to seize a one-stroke lead over American Lauren Coughlin after Saturday's second round of the ShopRite LPGA Classic.

Mo Donegal won the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher a one-two finish ahead of stablemate Nest in the 1 1/2-mile event that capped US flat racing's Triple Crown.

President Joe Biden made a forceful pitch to reassert US influence in Latin America through a weeklong summit in Los Angeles but the modesty of his promises will test his efforts at a time when China is making rapid inroads.

Thousands of people took to the streets in the United States on Saturday to push for action on the devastating gun violence plaguing the country, where Republican politicians have repeatedly blocked efforts to enact stricter firearms laws.

Tony Finau closed with a 25-foot birdie putt to share the lead with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy after Saturday's third round of the US PGA Tour's Canadian Open.

Defending champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez led the Le Mans 24 Hour Race for Toyota as the classic endurance race headed into Sunday.

Toulouse reached the last four of the French Top 14 by beating recently-crowned European champions La Rochelle, 33-28, on Saturday.

England are bottom of their UEFA Nations League group without a win after drawing 0-0 with Italy in a repeat of the Euro 2020 final on Saturday, while Germany settled for a point in a 1-1 stalemate in Hungary.

England manager Gareth Southgate blamed a run of three games without a win to start their Nations League campaign on a lack of sharpness in front of goal after a 0-0 draw against Italy on Saturday.

Charl Schwartzel won the inaugural event in the Saudi-funded rebel LIV Golf series on Saturday as Patrick Reed became the latest big-name player to sign up.