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

Rafael Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-3 on Friday to reach the final of the ATP Mexico Open and insure the Russian will not celebrate his rise to number one with the Acapulco trophy.

More than 100 nations convening in Nairobi next week are expected to take the first steps toward establishing a historic global treaty to tackle the plastic crisis afflicting the planet.

Ukrainian soldiers repulsed a Russian attack in the capital, the military said early Saturday, only hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow would attempt to take Kyiv before dawn.

One of Sri Lanka's biggest fuel suppliers put up its prices by as much as 12 percent on Saturday, as the cash-strapped island's energy crisis worsened.

Facebook on Friday restricted Russian state media's ability to earn money on the social media platform as Moscow's invasion of neighboring Ukraine reached the streets of Kyiv.

Rescue teams in Indonesia were searching Saturday for six people still missing after a strong earthquake rocked Sumatra island a day earlier, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens, an official said.

Ukrainian soldiers repulsed a Russian attack in the capital, the military said early Saturday, only hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow would attempt to take Kyiv before dawn.

Jurgen Klopp wants Liverpool to take a step towards immortality when they target the first trophy in their historic quadruple bid in Sunday's League Cup final against Chelsea.

The Six Nations championship has a "lot to gain" from having Italy involved, their former fly-half Ian McKinley told AFP, despite Sunday's match with Ireland in Dublin likely to be another "difficult weekend".

China's President Xi Jinping emphasised the importance of cooperation between Beijing and Pyongyang in an unspecified "new situation", North Korea's state media reported Saturday.

Robert Pattinson had never been interested in playing a superhero -- until Ben Affleck quit his role as Batman, leaving the famous cape unexpectedly up for grabs.

Tents, makeshift shelters and dilapidated campervans line the streets of Skid Row as Mike Murase and his team tally the exploding population of homeless people in Los Angeles.

Yurisniel Cabrera, 35, is a fourth-generation tobacco farmer, eking out a meager living from the leaves used to make Cuba's fabled cigars.

Ukrainian historian Yuriy Korchemniy has never fired an assault rifle in his life.

Athletics trailblazer John Landy, the second man to break the four-minute mile after arch-rival Roger Bannister, has died aged 91, sporting officials said Saturday.

Hometown hero Daniel Berger, seeking a fifth career US PGA title, fired a second-straight five-under par 65 to grab the lead through Friday's second round of the Honda Classic.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Saturday that Russian troops would attempt to take the capital Kyiv before dawn, as Western nations announced personal sanctions targeting Vladimir Putin.

Undisputed world super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez of Mexico will fight undefeated Russian Dmitry Bivol for his World Boxing Association light-heavyweight title on May 7, Alvarez confirmed Friday.

The US opioid crisis has claimed more than 500,000 lives in the last 20 years. It has also spawned one of the most complex legal campaigns in the country's history.

Russia, as expected, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Friday that "deplores in the strongest terms" the country's "aggression" against Ukraine and demanded the immediate withdrawal of its troops.

Inter Milan failed to capitalise on AC Milan's home draw against Udinese on Friday with a goalless draw at Genoa which allowed their local rivals to stay top of Serie A.

Ukrainian forces fought off Russian troops in the capital Kyiv on Friday as the United States, European Union and Britain announced personal sanctions against Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

Southampton pushed Norwich deeper into relegation trouble as the Premier League's bottom club slumped to a 2-0 defeat at St Mary's on Friday.

The United States top health agency on Friday drastically revised its guidelines for masking to stop Covid-19 transmission, a decision that means most Americans won't be advised to wear them in indoor public spaces, including school children.

AC Milan slipped up for the second time in as many weeks on Friday with a 1-1 draw with Udinese which gave their Serie A title rivals a chance to reach them at the summit.

Five Western nations urged Libyans on Friday not to drag the National Oil Corporation into political disputes that could threaten the country's fragile peace.

No Russian entertainers will be permitted to take part in this year's Eurovision Song Contest following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Broadcasting Union said Friday.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton laid down an early marker ahead of the new Formula One season on Friday when he set the fastest time in pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Facebook's parent company Meta said Friday that Russia will hit its services with restrictions after the social media giant defied authorities' order to stop fact-checkers and content warning labels on its platforms.

Having lived through numerous financial cataclysms since the fall of the Soviet Union, Moscow's residents seemed resigned Friday in the face of Western sanctions over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, knowing they will have to bear the costs.

Reigning world champion and world record holder Christian Coleman seeks his third consecutive 60-meter crown at this weekend's US Indoor Track and Field Championships in Spokane, Washington.

Ukrainian forces fought off Russian troops in the capital Kyiv on Friday as President Volodymyr Zelensky defied calls by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for him to be overthrown.

The UN's emergency relief coordinator called on Friday for "safe, unimpeded access" for aid workers to carry out humanitarian operations in Ukraine, after the Russian invasion.

Sanctions to limit Russia's access to tech components like semiconductors may temporarily hobble its defence industry, but analysts said they risk boomeranging on the West if Russia withholds key raw materials.

Scotland suffered a major setback on the eve of Saturday's Six Nations match at home to France when star back-row Hamish Watson was ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19.

Russia's attack on Ukraine could herald a Cold War revival in Europe with two blocs armed to the teeth pointing nuclear weapons at each other across an iron curtain, politicians and experts say.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine resulted in serious sporting consequences on Friday as UEFA stripped Saint-Petersburg of hosting the Champions League final and Formula One cancelled the Russian Grand Prix.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton laid down an early marker ahead of the new Formula One season on Friday when he set the fastest time in pre-season testing in Barcelona.

Ukrainian boxer Viktor Postol, a former world champion at 140 pounds, is thinking of his family and the war in his homeland as he prepares for a crucial fight Saturday.