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

Oil prices climbed Wednesday while stocks were mixed after US President Donald Trump announced the extension of a ceasefire with Iran, prompting investors to wait and see if peace talks would resume.

After decades of struggling to find a way to treat pancreatic cancer, researchers have developed several promising new drugs that could offer rare hope to patients given this particularly deadly diagnosis.

South Africa risks thousands of premature deaths if the phase-out of coal plants is delayed due to the government's updated decommissioning dates, climate rights groups said in a report Wednesday.

French prodigy Paul Seixas at 19 became the youngest winner of the La Fleche Wallonne one-day classic on Wednesday in his first ride in the race.

Lebanese town official Sharif Badreddine begged his youngest son not to leave to fight for Hezbollah against Israel in the country's south, but as the tearful father buried his child he could not hide a sense of pride.

The EU on Wednesday gave the green light to unblock a 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) loan for Kyiv, after the deadlock was broken in a months-long row between Ukraine and Hungary over a damaged pipeline.

Russia confirmed Wednesday it will halt the pipeline flow of Kazakh oil to Germany next month, citing technical reasons, as Berlin stressed it does not expect an energy supply crunch.

Germany's Friedrich Merz addressed a major climate policy gathering on Wednesday by stressing the need to unshackle industry from harmful regulations, including by reworking the EU's carbon trading scheme.

Silhouetted against the light on stage in 1990, David Bowie belts out a deafening rendition of "Rebel Rebel" as a rapturous audience claps along with arms raised.

Workers streamed into the British capital by foot, bike and bus Wednesday as strike action on the London Underground train network disrupted services.

Boeing reported a small quarterly loss Wednesday following an uptick in commercial plane deliveries as the aerospace giant pointed to progress on a turnaround after a long period of stumbles.

Oil prices edged higher Wednesday while stocks were mixed after US President Donald Trump announced the extension of a ceasefire with Iran, prompting investors to wait and see if peace talks will resume.

The German government on Wednesday halved its growth forecast for this year as the energy shock triggered by the Middle East war hammers Europe's biggest economy.

The world's biggest auto show opens in Beijing on Friday, as Chinese manufacturers solidify their status as industry innovators and foreign brands face ferocious competition in the country's giant car market.

Germany has learned that Russia plans to halt the flow of Kazakh oil through the Druzhba pipeline to a refinery in eastern Germany starting May 1, the energy ministry in Berlin told AFP on Wednesday.

Vietnam's top leader To Lam hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Hanoi on Wednesday, announcing a dozen cooperative agreements including on tech innovation and development of nuclear power plants.

The EU on Wednesday gave a preliminary green light to unblocking a 90-billion-euro ($106 billion) for Kyiv, after a months-long row between Ukraine and Hungary over a damaged pipeline.

International Criminal Court judges Wednesday threw out a challenge against the court's jurisdiction by Rodrigo Duterte, meaning the former Philippines president could still stand trial over his war on drugs.

Iranian forces targeted three container ships on Wednesday, seizing two and firing on a third, global security monitors and the country's Revolutionary Guards said, the latest incidents to threaten a crucial trade route in the Middle East war.

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday called for "greater room for freedom" in Equatorial Guinea and delivered a rare criticism of living conditions for prisoners before visiting inmates in a jail known for its squalor and ill-treatment of detainees.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday their naval forces had seized two container ships seeking to cross the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, despite US President Donald Trump announcing he was extending a ceasefire to allow more time for peace talks.

Since the outbreak of war between Iran, Israel and the United States, colourful murals have sprung up across capital Tehran and other major cities, rich in symbolism and themes of resistance and defiance.

Oil prices edged higher Wednesday while Europe's main stock markets eased on uncertainty surrounding the prospect of resumed Mideast peace talks following an extension to the US-Iran ceasefire.

Iranian gunboats attacked at least one container ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, maritime agencies said, despite US President Donald Trump announcing he was extending a ceasefire to allow more time for peace talks.

The German government on Wednesday is expected to cut its growth forecast for this year as the energy shock triggered by the Middle East war hammers Europe's biggest economy.

Pakistan's capital was still locked in gear on Wednesday to host high-stakes US-Iran talks that were pushed back at the last minute overnight, but many residents began to tire of the heavy personal and economic toll of tight security restrictions.

Iranian player Hossein Vafaei begins his campaign at the snooker world championship later Wednesday but he admits it has been hard to focus because of the bombardment of his country by the United States and Israel.

Sakib Hussain's father is a labourer from India's poorest state and his mother sold her jewellery to buy him bowling boots.

Saffron-robed Buddhist monks began a week-long peace walk across Sri Lanka on Wednesday, accompanied by a rescued stray dog that has become a celebrity in its own right.

NASA unveiled a new telescope on Tuesday to scan vast swathes of the universe for planets outside our solar system and probe the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.

US President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran to allow more time for talks, claiming the Islamic republic was "collapsing financially" because of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

For nearly two years, Al-Shubbak watched through ancient grey eyes as Tuti, the crescent-shaped island in the heart of the Sudanese capital she calls home, emptied of its inhabitants under a punishing paramilitary siege.