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

New Vietnamese internet rules requiring Facebook and TikTok to verify user identities and hand over data to authorities came into force on Wednesday, in what critics say is the latest attack on freedom of expression.

Christmas revellers around the world donned red and white Santa hats, offered meals to the homeless and lit candles on Wednesday, as Pope Francis launched observation of the global holiday with a sombre mass in the Vatican.

With flickering candles and the sound of organs, hundreds of Catholics held a muted Christmas Eve mass in Indonesia's Aceh province, the only one under ultraconservative Islamic law in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

Some 3,000 homeless people sat down for a festive Christmas charity dinner on Tuesday in the center of Buenos Aires, at a time when more than half of Argentina's population is affected by poverty, one year into ultra-liberal Javier Milei's term in office.

Skippers of the supermaxi yachts in the Sydney-Hobart bluewater classic are bracing for a fast start on Thursday and a wild first night at sea with gale-force winds forecast.

Fuelled in part by the success of TV hit "Shogun", foreign studios are hungry for quality Japanese content and local creators are adaptingto meet demand.

From riding pillion on zooming motorbikes to round-the-clock airport stakeouts, India's celebrity-hunting paparazzi photographers have gone from "outcasts" to becoming a key part of Bollywood's vast film industry machine.

Santa Claus has no need to worry about recent mystery drone sightings over New Jersey, a US Air Force general said Tuesday, as an annual tradition of "tracking" Saint Nick swung into action.

Novak Djokovic is confident he can still win Grand Slams, starting at the Australian Open, with the Serbian kickstarting his bid for an unprecedented 11th title and record 25th major crown in Brisbane this week.

Batsman Travis Head was declared fit for the Boxing Day Test against India on Wednesday in a big boost for Australia while Scott Boland was confirmed as the injured Josh Hazlewood's replacement.

Brazilian international midfielder Oscar, who played for Chelsea, is returning to Sao Paulo, where he started his career, the club announced on Tuesday.

Victor Wembanyama and Anthony Edwards will play Christmas Day games for the first time on Wednesday as the NBA delivers its 77th year of contests on the holiday.

A leading US government agency that tracks foreign disinformation has terminated its operations, the State Department said Tuesday, after Congress failed to extend its funding following years of Republican criticism.

Pope Francis opened the "Holy Door" of St Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve on Tuesday, launching the Jubilee year of Catholic celebrations set to draw more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome.

Defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City can clinch a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the NFL post-season with a victory Wednesday at Pittsburgh as four playoff-bound teams face a holiday test.

Ruud van Nistelrooy is determined to keep sight of the "bigger picture" after recent defeats followed a winning start to his reign as Leicester boss.

Enzo Maresca believes Manchester City will bounce back into Premier League title contention, while insisting it is "just reality" that Chelsea are not genuine challengers for the crown.

Ruben Amorim has insisted he knows what he's doing as the Manchester United manager looks to revive the fallen English giants amid a row over the future of Marcus Rashford.

South African captain Temba Bavuma on Tuesday announced an all-pace attack for the first Test against Pakistan starting at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday.

Pep Guardiola has insisted Erling Haaland alone is not responsible for Manchester City's dramatic collapse in form this season.

Global stocks mostly pushed higher on Tuesday in thin Christmas Eve trade as investors waited to see if a so-called Santa Claus rally would sweep the market.

Hundreds of people gathered at the Church of the Nativity in the holy city of Bethlehem on Tuesday to mark another solemn Christmas overshadowed by the war in Gaza.

NASA's pioneering Parker Solar Probe made history Tuesday, flying closer to the Sun than any other spacecraft with its heat shield exposed to scorching temperatures of more than 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit (930 degrees Celsius).

A powerful blast ripped through an explosives plant in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, officials said, downgrading their original toll.

Jailed former leaders of Indonesia's Jemaah Islamiyah militant group are being considered for parole, a senior counter-terror official said Tuesday, after the network disbanded and members pledged allegiance to the country.

Everton manager Sean Dyche has insisted there's no chance of his side being lulled into a false sense of security against faltering Premier League champions Manchester City.

Global stocks were mostly higher on Tuesday, boosted by a tech rally on Wall Street, but gains remained modest in thin Christmas Eve trade.

Ange Postecoglou expects Tottenham Hotspur to bolster their squad during the January transfer window.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Tuesday that the days of France's new government are already numbered, predicting an early presidential election in a few months.

Global stocks were mostly higher on Tuesday boosted by a tech rally on Wall Street, but gains remained modest in thin Christmas Eve trade.

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery expects his in-form side to face a "very difficult" challenge away to Newcastle on Boxing Day.

A German flying taxi startup was Tuesday saved from collapse after a consortium of investors swooped in at the 11th hour to take over the ailing firm.