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

Helium is the second most-abundant element in the known universe, but to the semiconductor fabricators and doctors who rely on it for their businesses, it is better known as the latest raw material to grow scarce -- and the war in Ukraine could make the shortage worse.

Argentina and the IMF said Thursday they had reached agreement on a "pragmatic and realistic" plan for the country to repay a ruinous $44-billion debt.

A short time after becoming France's youngest ever president in 2017, Emmanuel Macron made a boast about his temperament that made clear he was expecting trouble while in office

Jonathan Davies had told his Wales team-mates they must work as hard without the ball as they do when it is in their hands if they are to revive their flagging Six Nations Championship campaign.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that he will seek a second term in office at elections next month, with Russia's war in Ukraine likely to eclipse the campaign but boost his chances.

The head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, will travel to Iran on Saturday "for meetings with senior Iranian officials", the IAEA said Thursday.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday met virtually with the leaders of Japan, Australia and India over Ukraine, but the "Quad" group failed to agree on condemning Russia's invasion, with New Delhi hesitant to censure Moscow.

Two of Russia's landmark liberal media outlets were dissolved or suspended operations on Thursday, amid an unprecedented Kremlin crackdown over its war with Ukraine.

The Sackler family will pay up to $6 billion to address damages linked to the US opioid crisis under an amended Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan following an agreement with holdout states, according to a court filing Thursday.

Jesse Marsch has admitted there is a stigma about Americans managing in English football after taking the reins at Premier League strugglers Leeds United.

For Moldovans, watching Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine brings back painful memories of the country's own conflict involving Moscow-backed separatists 30 years ago -- and is stirring fears that the country might become Russia's next target.

Russia and Ukraine agreed Thursday to create humanitarian corridors for civilians fleeing intensifying fighting as Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow's advance was "going to plan" and to schedule.

Russian athletes were banned from the Beijing Winter Paralympics while the country had its Formula One contract ripped up as sporting sanctions on Moscow bit deeper on Thursday following the invasion of Ukraine.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday told Congress it's "too early to say" whether Russia's invasion of Ukraine will change the bank's plan to hike interest rates throughout 2022 to fight runaway inflation.

One million refugees have fled Ukraine in the week since Russia's invasion, the United Nations said Thursday, warning that unless the onslaught ended immediately, millions more were likely to flee.

MotoGP riders posed for their traditional 'back-to-school' photo at the season-opening Qatar MotoGP on Thursday behind a banner proclaiming "United for Peace" in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian army battalion commander is not sure who laid the mines scattered across fields on Kyiv's eastern front that his men hit while seeking intelligence on Russian forces.

European stocks lost early gains while oil fell back Thursday after briefly flirting with $120 per barrel while natural gas touched another record peak as war raged on in Ukraine.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters welcomed Roman Abramovich's decision to put Chelsea up for sale on Thursday as fans thanked the Russian for the club's "unparalleled success" under his ownership.

The US Supreme Court ruled against a Guantanamo detainee on Thursday who was seeking to force the government to disclose information about his torture at a CIA "black site" in Poland.

Star Russian soprano Anna Netrebko will withdraw from her upcoming roles at the Metropolitan Opera after declining to "repudiate her public support for Vladimir Putin," the New York institution said Thursday.

The Russian football federation (RFU) said on Thursday that it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against its expulsion from the 2022 World Cup and all international competitions.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said Thursday he was open to a union vote at a California factory where the company has been sanctioned over its response to earlier union campaigns.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sparked a widespread backlash in the sports world, with the country booted out of this year's World Cup.

Sri Lanka on Thursday ended a heavily criticised policy that required Muslim Covid-19 victims to be buried at a remote government-designated site in the absence of their families or final religious rites.

Just as millions of people dared to hope a two-year pandemic was receding, war broke out in Ukraine, triggering a new surge of anxiety in Western Europe and fears about wider conflict -- or worse.

Sri Lanka's president sacked his energy minister on Thursday as fuel shortages left the near-bankrupt island facing its worst blackouts in 26 years and the nation's buses largely sidelined.

The United Nations' aid chief pleaded Thursday for the protection of civilians in Ukraine and for unhindered humanitarian access amid the spiralling violence, in an interview with AFP.

Ireland need to "stay calm" when they play England at Twickenham on Saturday week if they are to have a chance of winning and maintaining their Six Nations title hopes, said forwards coach Paul O'Connell.

Algerian journalist and press freedom activist Khaled Drareni had a two-year jail term reduced on appeal to a six-month suspended sentence on Thursday, a detainees' rights group said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed no let-up in his invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, even as the warring sides met for ceasefire talks and Kyiv appealed for relief supplies to reach shattered cities.

Reigning MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo says he is more motivated than ever ahead of the new season, with his sights now set on winning "several" riders' titles ahead of this weekend's season opener in Qatar.

Explosions, sirens, ruined homes. Olena Ostaptchenko's only point of reference for what is happening in her home town of Kharkiv is Soviet-era movies about the horrors of World War II.

UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin said Thursday he was sick of talking about a breakaway European Super League, accusing club chiefs still committed to the idea of living in a "parallel world".

Goth rocker Marilyn Manson on Wednesday filed court proceedings against ex-fiancee Evan Rachel Wood for conspiracy, fraud and defamation after the US actress accused him of raping her.

Ireland suffered a blow to their Six Nations title hopes on Thursday as prop Andrew Porter was ruled out of their final two matches due to an ankle injury.

France said Thursday it had seized a superyacht owned by Russia's oil czar Igor Sechin, following through on threats to target sanctioned oligarchs close to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

French President Emmanuel Macron will announce later Thursday that he will seek a second term in office at elections next month, aides said, with Russia's war in Ukraine likely to eclipse the campaign but boost his chances.

Left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and batsman Liton Das helped Bangladesh halt an eight-match losing streak in Twenty20 internationals with a resounding 61-run win over Afghanistan in Dhaka on Thursday.