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

China welcomed Argentina into its global Belt and Road Initiative Sunday as President Xi Jinping capped a weekend of frenetic diplomatic activity on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics.

"Super-proud" snowboarder Zoi Sadowski Synnott made history for New Zealand after winning their first ever Winter Olympics gold medal on Sunday but bad weather played havoc with the eagerly anticipated men's downhill skiing.

Fifteen-year-old Kamila Valieva dominated on her Olympic debut Sunday in Beijing, coming close to breaking her own world record and propelling the Russians into first place ahead of the United States in the figure skating team event.

Chloe Kim said she was recharged and primed to defend her snowboard title at the Beijing Olympics after a nearly two-year layoff prompted by pandemic anxiety, the pressures of fame and even people breaking into her house.

As the sun rose over the frost on Salisbury Plain, archaeologist Sarah Greaney conjured up a picture of the hundreds of workers who built Stonehenge, a Neolithic wonder in southern England.

The 72nd Berlin film festival opens Thursday, bucking a trend of pandemic on-the-couch streaming with a packed programme of live premieres featuring a stable of European screen legends.

Cyclone Batsirai weakened overnight but floods were still expected due to heavy rain after it hit eastern Madagascar with strong winds, the island's meteorological office said Sunday.

The Africa Cup of Nations which finishes this weekend in Cameroon will remain forever scarred by the crush which killed eight people at the Olembe Stadium after a month in which the tournament's organisers struggled from one problem to another.

Record seven-time champions Egypt and a Senegal side who have never lifted the trophy clash in the Africa Cup of Nations final in Yaounde on Sunday as superstar club colleagues Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane go head to head.

Mack Hansen decided he would never make the grade as an electrician in Australia but judging by his man of the match Test debut for Ireland on Saturday he is set to light up the international stage for years to come.

Philippine election candidates will hit the hustings Tuesday for the official start of campaigning, with the son and namesake of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos leading the presidential race as he seeks the ultimate revival of the family brand.

Tunisian President Kais Saied has dissolved a major independent judicial watchdog, he said Sunday, accusing it of bias and working for special interests.

A Chinese curling duo's unexpected gift to their victorious USA opponents at the Beijing Winter Olympics brought a temporary thaw to the chilly atmosphere between the two world powers.

LeBron James returned from a five-game injury absence with a triple-double on Saturday fueling the Los Angeles Lakers' thrilling 122-115 come-from-behind overtime triumph over the New York Knicks.

Snowboarder Zoi Sadowski Synnott produced the "best run of my life" to win New Zealand's first Winter Olympics gold medal ever at the Beijing Games on Sunday.

The Beijing Olympics men's downhill, one of the Games' signature events, was postponed Sunday because of high winds, organisers said.

Bollywood superstar Lata Mangeshkar, known to millions as the "Nightingale of India" and a regular fixture of the country's airwaves for decades, died Sunday morning at the age of 92.

"Super-proud" snowboarder Zoi Sadowski Synnott made history for New Zealand after winning their first ever Winter Olympics gold medal on Sunday but bad weather played havoc with the eagerly anticipated men's downhill skiing.

Fifteen-year-old Kamila Valieva dominated on her Olympic debut Sunday in Beijing, coming close to breaking her own world record and pushing the Russians into first place ahead of the United States in the figure skating team event.

Russia has stepped up preparations for an all-out invasion of Ukraine but it is not clear if Moscow has decided to take such a step, US officials have said citing intelligence assessments.

Morocco was in shock Sunday after emergency crews found a five-year-old boy dead at the bottom of a well in a tragic end to a painstaking five-day rescue operation that gripped the nation and the world.

Bollywood superstar singer Lata Mangeshkar, known to millions as the "nightingale of India" and a regular fixture of the country's airwaves for decades, died Sunday at the age of 92.

Alpine ski star Mikaela Shiffrin says she must be "full gas, full precision" as she begins her bid for a third Olympic gold medal, and first of the Beijing Games, in Monday's giant slalom.

Queen Elizabeth II has announced that she wants Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, to ultimately be known as Queen Consort, as she became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades Sunday.

The unfinished "Golden Dream" rests quietly in a dock as the Covid-19 pandemic has turned the cruise ship into a nightmare for the shipyard in Wismar along Germany's windswept Baltic coast.

Zoi Sadowski Synnott gave New Zealand their first ever Winter Olympics gold medal after winning the women's snowboard slopestyle final at the Beijing Games on Sunday.

On the banks of the River Humber in northern England, the winds of change are blowing through Hull, where factory workers busily craft turbine blades in a green revolution.

In the extravagant world of the French luxury industry, brands used to prefer destroying their unsold goods rather than offering their high-priced products at a discount.

In Israel's Negev desert, far from the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv, the town of Yeruham hopes to cultivate an international reputation as the country's medical cannabis technology powerhouse.

A wave of foreign imitations and alternative styles has prompted Oman to take tough action to preserve its unique national dress, threatening thousands of dollars in fines for men who wear the wrong sort of dishdasha.

Australia's foreign minister called Sunday for the "immediate release" of economist Sean Turnell, who has been detained by Myanmar's military junta for the past year.

Queen Elizabeth II on Sunday became the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, marking the landmark date with an announcement that she wants Camilla, the wife of her heir Prince Charles, to ultimately be known as Queen Consort.

Costa Ricans head to the polls Sunday with a crowded presidential field and no clear favorite for tackling growing economic concerns in one of Latin America's stablest democracies.

Andrew Putnam shook off a nightmare start to card a four-under par 68 on Saturday and grab a share of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am third-round lead alongside Beau Hossler and Tom Hoge.

Memphis star Ja Morant scored 33 points and the Grizzlies led by as many as 31 on Saturday in a 135-115 mauling of the Orlando Magic.

French far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemmour on Saturday used a meeting in the northern city of Lille to launch a tirade against welfare handouts.

Marko Janse van Rensburg scored the opening try of the season as Rugby Atlanta routed Old Glory DC 55-22 on Saturday to launch Major League Rugby's fifth campaign.

Claude Giroux scored twice and Tristan Jarry stopped 14 of 15 shots as the Metropolitan Division defeated the Central Division 5-3 to win the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

Honduras' new president, leftist Xiomara Castro, who came to power promising to fight corruption, granted amnesty Saturday to many officials who served in her husband's government more than a decade ago.