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

Stocks fell and bond yields held at multi-decade highs on Wednesday as investors ramp up rate hike bets amid a fresh flare-up in Middle East tensions that has sparked another surge in oil prices.

Around 5,000 US sailors and Marines arrived in Thailand on Wednesday for their first port call in nine months, after concerns over conditions on board sparked debate back home over President Donald Trump's war with Iran.

The EU on Wednesday said it had summoned Russia's top diplomat as it eyed sanctions after a drone incident in Germany that the bloc's foreign policy chief said bore the marks of "state-sponsored terrorism".

One of the most recognisable faces of Hong Kong's now-quashed democracy movement, jailed activist Joshua Wong faces life behind bars after pleading guilty on Wednesday to charges of foreign collusion.

Stocks fell and bond yields held at multi-decade highs as investors ramp up rate hike bets amid a fresh flare-up in Middle East tensions that has sparked another surge in oil prices.

Nepali rescuers searched Wednesday for survivors feared trapped inside hydropower tunnels a week after devastating floods, but hopes were fading as teams hit dead ends and no one was confirmed alive.

Cricketers at this month's Asian Games in Japan will have better accommodation than athletes from many other sports, the head of Japanese cricket said Wednesday, after concerns were raised about a lack of five-star hotels for players.

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev survived a scare, overcoming Lorenzo Sonego in a wild-five setter at the US Open on Tuesday as Elena Rybakina and Coco Gauff advanced with ease.

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev scraped into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday, beating 89th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5, 6-4.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright arrived in Venezuela on Tuesday to finalize an oil deal granting the United States control of about one-fifth of the country's reserves.

As twilight settled on a hillside by the river near the eastern Ukrainian front, two soldiers exchanged wedding vows during a Slavic ritual honouring ancestors and fallen warriors.

Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government on Friday becomes the longest-lasting in Italy's postwar history -- a notable record that belies considerable challenges ahead of elections next year.

The Venice Film Festival kicks off on the sun-splashed Lido with a bang on Wednesday, with the glamorous cinema showcase handing George Clooney a lifetime achievement award on its opening night.

Nepali families were holding symbolic funeral ceremonies to "liberate the souls" of loved ones missing since deadly flash floods swept away their villages and homes in the Himalayan region a week ago.

Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty to foreign collusion on Wednesday in a second national security trial against him that could see him jailed for life, AFP journalists in court saw.

A US aircraft carrier at the centre of controversy over conditions on board arrived in Thailand on Wednesday for its first port call in nine months.

Premier League clubs shattered their transfer record of £3.1 billion ($4.2 billion) spent in one window as Manchester City splashed out £125 million to Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez and signed Iliman Ndiaye from Everton.

Stocks fell and bond yields held at multi-decade highs as investors ramp up rate hike bets amid a fresh flare-up in Middle East tensions that has sparked another surge in oil prices.

A US aircraft carrier at the centre of controversy over conditions on board approached the Thai coast on Wednesday for its first port call in nine months.

US officials on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump's oil deal with Venezuela, saying it would lower oil prices for Americans and counter Russian and Chinese influence on Washington's doorstep.

Nepal's rapper-turned-prime minister swept to power six months ago promising reform, but his young government now faces its gravest test after a glacial collapse unleashed catastrophe, analysts say.

France's Gael Monfils turned back the clock Tuesday, making the most of a US Open wild card and an adoring New York crowd to advance to the second round.

Indonesian doctor "Pierre" says he is always on edge. He is gay, but hides it, with anti-LGBTQ sentiment on the rise in the Southeast Asian country.

Yosuke Nagai was an idealistic teenager who wanted to help war-torn Somalia. He now runs the only foreign-funded reintegration programme for Islamist fighters still operating in the country.

Veteran fly-half James O'Connor said on Wednesday he was returning to Super Rugby's Western Force, with the 36-year-old aiming to be part of the Australia squad for next year's World Cup on home soil.

World number two Elena Rybakina and former champion Coco Gauff breezed into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday as men's top seed Alexander Zverev launched his campaign.

Malakeh Barbour caresses her son Haidar, his face scarred from a blast that killed his brother in their home in Syria, where a mine-clearance charity says unexploded ordnance claims a casualty every six hours.

French President Emmanuel Macron begins Wednesday a two-day visit to Britain, inaugurating a landmark exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry and becoming the first EU leader to meet new Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Downing Street.

Tiger Woods, who pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence after crashing his car in Florida in March, is expected to formally change his plea, court documents showed Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to hold talks Wednesday with his Egyptian counterpart on his first visit to Cairo in a decade, under the shadow of looming US sanctions over financial links to Iran.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Tuesday that his country's drones would make Russia's airspace "completely unsafe" for the duration of the war, drawing accusations of "state terrorism" from Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Coco Gauff opened her 2026 US Open campaign with a solid straight-set win over Turkey's Zeynep Sonmez that showcased her improved serve.