Il Nuovo Postiglione - News from Venice, Veneto, Venetia and Italy, as well as from around the world

England picked teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed in their white-ball squads for the first time on Thursday ahead of next month's tour of Bangladesh.

Hanah Zachariah is so determined to see Pope Francis in South Sudan that she walked nine days in sandals to reach the capital where he makes his long-awaited visit.

European stock markets rallied Thursday before interest rate decisions from the European Central Bank and Bank of England and following the US Federal Reserve's latest hike aimed at cooling sky-high inflation.

The suicide bomber who killed more than 80 police officers at a mosque inside a sensitive compound earlier this week entered wearing a uniform and helmet, a provincial police chief said Thursday.

Hong Kong is ready to welcome the world back, its leader said Thursday, pledging more than half a million free flights and positive publicity to resurrect the once-vibrant global hub after three years of Covid-enforced isolation.

The European Parliament on Thursday lifted the immunity of two lawmakers targeted in a Belgian probe into suspected bribery linked to Qatar and Morocco.

Russia accused the West of wanting to inflict a lasting defeat against Moscow and lashed out against EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who is in Kyiv ahead of a Ukraine summit.

Ben White was a notable inclusion in Scotland's starting side to face England in the Six Nations at Twickenham on Saturday after coach Gregor Townsend left regular scrum-half Ali Price out of his matchday 23.

Pope Francis on Thursday urged tens of thousands of young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo to work towards a better future and shun corruption in the deeply Catholic country, which is plagued by violence in its east.

Burkina Faso's prime minister, in a visit to neighbouring Mali this week, has suggested the two countries form a "federation" to boost their economic clout, his office said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron Thursday, hoping to gain support against Iran's nuclear programme but shadowed by an upsurge of violence in the region.

Hong Kong is ready to welcome the world back, its leader said Thursday, as he pitched free flights and positive publicity to resurrect the once-vibrant global hub after three years of Covid-enforced isolation.

Shell's net profit surged to a record $42.3 billion last year, the British energy giant said Thursday, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring.

Spanish banking giant Banco Santander reported on Thursday record profits for 2022, becoming the latest European lender to get a boost from higher interest rates.

Ben White was a notable inclusion in Scotland's starting side to face England in the Calcutta Cup at Twickenham on Saturday after coach Gregor Townsend left regular scrum-half Ali Price out of his matchday 23.

Young people packing a stadium in DR Congo's capital Kinshasa erupted in joy on Thursday as Pope Francis entered in his popemobile, on the third day of his trip to the country.

Shubman Gill's prowess as an opener was never in doubt, but his first Twenty20 ton has got people talking about him as the next Virat Kohli, an all-format run machine for India.

Markets were mixed Thursday, with investors unable to maintain an early rally despite a strong lead from Wall Street fuelled by hopes the Federal Reserve's campaign of interest rate hikes could be close to an end.

Israeli warplanes struck Gaza early Thursday, drawing retaliatory rocket fire from Palestinian militants, as violence flared despite US calls for "urgent steps" to restore calm.

Under-fire Indian tycoon Gautam Adani's empire has lost more than $100 billion in value over the past week as shares in several firms plunged again Thursday, a day after the group cancelled a multi-billion-dollar public offering.

Japan's leading air carriers ANA Holdings and Japan Airlines posted net profits for the nine months to December, turning around losses as domestic and international travel resume, the companies said Thursday.

Sony upgraded its annual net profit forecasts on Thursday, saying it expects strong results in its key gaming sector as the weak yen inflates profits on products sold abroad.

Most Asian markets rose Thursday and the dollar weakened further on hopes the Federal Reserve's campaign of interest rate hikes could be close to an end after it acknowledged progress in its long-running battle against inflation.

Musa Hasahya Kasera has so many children he can't remember most of their names.

Sony upgraded its annual net profit forecast on Thursday, saying it expects strong results in its key gaming sector as the weak yen inflates profits on products sold abroad.

When Nick Hewlett, head of a London school, was told about controversial online influencer Andrew Tate by a parent, he had never heard the name.

Rescuers searched for survivors in the rubble of an apartment building in eastern Ukraine on Thursday after a Russian strike destroyed it, as Kyiv said it expected a major offensive on the first anniversary of Moscow's invasion.

Donning yellow "Bali" hats featuring a surfer as the last letter, Chinese tourists walked along the Indonesian backpacker hotspot's pristine blue waters, forgetting three years of Covid-19 misery.

Australia will erase the British monarch from its banknotes, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II's image on its $5 note with a design honouring Indigenous culture, the central bank said Thursday.

Fiji are looking for a new head coach seven months before the Rugby World Cup after New Zealander Vern Cotter resigned on Thursday because of "personal reasons".

Pope Francis was set to address thousands of youngsters in Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday after holding an open-air mass that drew an estimated million faithful, as he pursues a landmark trip to central Africa.

Under-fire Indian tycoon Gautam Adani insisted Thursday that the fundamentals of his conglomerate were "strong" even as shares in its companies plunged again after the group cancelled a multi-billion-dollar stock sale.