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

World champion Max Verstappen hopes to put his season-opening disappointment behind him and show the true potential of his new Red Bull car at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Donald Trump is "guilty of numerous felony violations," said a prosecutor who resigned from a criminal probe into the former US president's business practices, according to his resignation letter published Wednesday by the New York Times.

Singapore will lift restrictions for all vaccinated travellers from next week, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Thursday hailing it as a "major milestone" in the aviation hub's efforts to live with Covid-19.

South Africa reached the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup on Thursday when rain washed out their crunch match against the West Indies in Wellington.

Australia accepted on Thursday a long-standing New Zealand offer to take hundreds of refugees detained for years in remote camps under Canberra's "Pacific solution" immigration policy.

World number one Ashleigh Barty's sudden retirement has left a gaping hole in women's tennis, already preparing for life without ageing superstar Serena Williams and with Naomi Osaka sliding down the rankings.

Ashleigh Barty was coy about her future on Thursday, telling media "you'll have to wait and see" as speculation mounts about what comes next after her shock retirement from tennis.

Toshiba shareholders on Thursday voted against a proposal to split the Japanese conglomerate into two, dealing a fresh blow to management that will likely spell further turmoil for the embattled company.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an impassioned plea Thursday for citizens worldwide to pour onto streets and squares in global protest against Russia's bloody month-old invasion.

Oil prices extended their gains Thursday on growing fears of further Russia sanctions that could hit already thin supplies, while most equity markets retreated owing to surging inflation and central bank plans to sharply hike interest rates.

Ashleigh Barty said Thursday that she will remove herself from the WTA rankings after announcing her retirement, opening the door for Poland's Iga Swiatek to become world number one.

The Indian Premier League returns for its biggest season on Saturday, with a galaxy of top names and two new franchises expanding the world's richest cricket competition to 10 teams for its 15th edition.

Allowing Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit with other world leaders at this year's G20 summit would be "a step too far", Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday.

With the war in Ukraine halting deliveries of crucial car parts, Volkswagen and its suppliers are scrambling to find solutions abroad, while trying to reassure Ukrainians they aren't abandoning the country.

In a muddy car park in Norway's Far North, Finnish troops show off their military might, lining up rocket launchers, artillery and snowmobiles as they prepare to train alongside their NATO brothers-in-arms.

Russia's war on Ukraine has drawn unprecedented sanctions that have seen it banned from most international sports in a Western-led break with the long-standing convention against politics mixing with sport.

Lauded by President Joe Biden and bolstered by recent triumphs at Starbucks, the US labor movement has had reasons to cheer as attention focuses on upcoming unionization votes at Amazon.

From a bumper 2021 in which sprawling blockbusters finally hit reopened movie theaters, and streaming platforms released more prestige flicks than ever, 10 films remain in contention for the Academy Award for best picture.

With the Oscars set for Sunday, Hollywood is weighing how or whether to address Russia's bloody assault on Ukraine, trying to thread the needle between showing support for Kyiv and being seen as too preachy.

Toshiba shareholders will vote Thursday on a plan to split the embattled Japanese conglomerate into two that has already faced staunch opposition from key investors.

World number one Jon Rahm got off to a smooth start at the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play tournament in Texas on Wednesday, romping to a convincing victory over Colombia's Sebastian Munoz.

Substitute Agnese Bonfantini fired Juventus to a 2-1 comeback victory over Lyon in the first leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday while Arsenal needed a last-gasp goal to secure a 1-1 home draw with Wolfsburg.

An air raid siren blares and tears fill Vasiliy Kravchuk's eyes as he surveys the wreckage of the school his six-year-old son was meant to start at next year.

Another US state passed a law allowing abortion providers to be sued in civil court Wednesday, as conservatives across the country ramp up their effort to overturn long-held reproductive rights.

French car giant Renault announced Wednesday it was immediately suspending operations at its Moscow factory after Kyiv called for a boycott of the company for remaining in Russia.

For the first time, two black Colombians will stand as running mates in May's presidential elections.

Tributes poured in Wednesday from diplomatic players around the world remembering Madeleine Albright, the first female US secretary of state and one of the most influential stateswomen of her generation, who has died at age 84.

Ukraine figure skaters Sofiia Holichenko and Artem Darenskyi, who travelled six days to reach the world championships in France, said Wednesday they undertook the exhausting trip "to show that Ukrainian athletes are fighting for their country".

Critically endangered black rhinos in South Africa will get help from an unusual source: Wall Street, where institutional investors have expressed a willingness to buy a new type of bond being issued by the World Bank that will pay for successful efforts to save the animals.

Double Olympic champion Caster Semenya won a 3,000m race in a personal best time of eight minutes and 54.97 seconds on Wednesday as she eyes qualifying for the 5,000m at the 2022 world championships.

Covid is making its latest comeback in parts of the northeastern United States as the BA.2 coronavirus variant becomes dominant in the country, officials said Wednesday, while urging Congress to pass new funding or risk the supply of future treatments and vaccines.

The UN General Assembly was debating on Wednesday a new non-binding resolution which, if adopted by a majority of member states, will "demand" that Russia stop the war in Ukraine "immediately".