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

The world should provide millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccines to North Korea, where "draconian" anti-pandemic measures are worsening an already-severe food crisis, a UN human rights expert said Wednesday.

An award-winning Ugandan author who fled the country after being charged with insulting President Yoweri Museveni and his son told AFP Wednesday that he was "relieved" to be in Germany for medical treatment after being "tortured" in jail.

Rohit Sharma said Wednesday he was happy to help train possible successors following his recent appointment as India's cricket captain across all formats in place of Virat Kohli.

German Olympic tennis champion Alexander Zverev has been expelled from the Mexican Open in Acapulco after smashing his racket on the umpire's chair several times and directing a foul-mouthed rant at the official, the ATP announced Wednesday.

Soaring inflation in Turkey has propelled a wave of strikes unlike any the country has seen since the 1970s, as workers demand more money to counter the shrinking value of their pay.

Cyclone Emnati overnight lashed the island nation of Madagascar, still reeling from the impact of another cyclone earlier this month, local authorities said Wednesday.

Equities mostly rose Wednesday and oil prices stabilised as investors tracked developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis after world powers imposed less harsh sanctions on Moscow than feared.

An award-winning Ugandan author who fled the country after being charged with insulting President Yoweri Museveni and his son has arrived in Germany to seek medical treatment after being "tortured" in jail, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the country's interests were non-negotiable, as Moscow massed more than 150,000 troops on the borders with Ukraine and the West punished Russia with new sanctions.

Equities mostly rose Wednesday and oil prices eased as investors tracked developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis after world powers imposed less harsh sanctions on Moscow than feared.

Under the blazing sun, Salado Adan Mohamed puts the finishing touches to her makeshift shelter, cobbled together from branches and fragments of discarded cloth.

Australia-based mining giant Rio Tinto on Wednesday reported record earnings of US$21.4 billion last year, on the back of soaring iron ore prices and solid demand from China.

Swedish authorities are fighting back against claims its social services are "kidnapping" Muslim children, denouncing a "disinformation campaign" of viral videos spreading mistrust among immigrant families.

Taiwan's president on Wednesday condemned Russia for ordering troops into rebel-held regions in Ukraine, and claimed the crisis was being used to hurt morale on the island, which has long been under the threat of a Chinese invasion.

The who's who of Italian fashion retakes the runway with the return of Milan women's shows Wednesday, which organisers hope will boost an industry stifled by two years of coronavirus.

The number of major wildfires worldwide will rise sharply in coming decades due to global warming, and governments are ill-prepared for the death and destruction such mega-blazes trail in their wake, the UN warned Wednesday.

Barcelona's Europa League tie against Napoli is finely poised heading into the return in Italy on Thursday as Rangers look to finish the job against Borussia Dortmund following their stunning 4-2 win in the first leg last week.

Like millions of Brazilians, @mara, a fervent fan of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, has turned to the messaging app Telegram as the country heads toward a deeply divisive election: "There's no censorship here," she says.

The US maternal mortality rate -- already the worst in the industrialized world -- rose in 2020 to its highest level in half a century, with Black women three times more likely to die than white women, data showed Wednesday.

Hong Kong's finance chief on Wednesday unveiled a costly HK$170 billion ($21.79 billion) budget, including tax breaks and consumer spending vouchers, as the city reels under its worst coronavirus outbreak to date.

New Zealand go into the second Test against South Africa on Friday on the cusp of clinching the series and reclaiming the mantle of number one in the world.

Rafael Nadal matched his best career start to an ATP Tour season with a victory Tuesday in his first match since capturing the Australian Open title, reaching the second round of the Mexican Open.

Two Venezuelan military personnel were killed and two others injured Tuesday when a Russian-made helicopter crashed in the South American nation, President Nicolas Maduro said.

Rafael Nadal made a triumphant return to the ATP Tour on Tuesday, winning his first tournament match since capturing the Australian Open title to reach the second round of the Mexican Open.

Hong Kong parents are being separated from children and babies who test positive for the coronavirus, compounding public anger over the financial hub's lack of readiness for a major outbreak now sweeping the city.

Equities mostly rose Wednesday and oil prices stabilised as investors tracked developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis after world powers imposed less harsh sanctions on Moscow than feared.

Phil Mickelson apologized Tuesday for remarks about the US PGA Tour and Saudi backers of a proposed rival tour, saying he will "desperately need some time away" from golf.

One person was found dead in a submerged car and 10 others were reportedly missing on Wednesday after heavy rain caused flash flooding in eastern Australia and set off a string of emergency warnings up and down the Pacific coast.

"I dare you, watch me as I undress," sings actor Ross Nasir in a Singapore musical comedy about dating as a plus-size woman, highlighting a nascent fat acceptance movement in a city-state that once forced children to join weight loss programmes.

Residents of a small town in western Mexico are celebrating the reintroduction into the wild of the tequila fish -- an endemic species saved from the brink of extinction.

Seven months after his arrest, loved ones of Cuban dissident artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara worry for his health, locked away mostly incommunicado in a high-security prison.

The United Nations slammed baby formula makers Wednesday for "unethical" marketing strategies, accusing them of aggressively targeting expecting parents and health workers and putting shareholder interests before children's health.