Il Messaggiere - News from Rome, Modena, Reggio, Italy and the world

Belgium on Thursday gave the DR Congo an inventory of tens of thousands of art objects from the former Belgian Congo held in its colonial era museum, the latest step in the restitution of looted artefacts.

Michael Masi has been removed as Formula One race director over his management of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year which led to Max Verstappen being controversially crowned world champion.

The world must slash $1.8 trillion in annual subsidies that destroy the environment, according to a study Thursday from business groups including one founded by tycoon Richard Branson.

While announcing on Thursday that France would withdraw its troops from Mali, President Emmanuel Macron made his strongest condemnation yet of the shadowy Russian mercenary group Wagner whose alleged arrival in West Africa has infuriated Paris.

Ukraine and Moscow-backed separatists traded accusations Thursday of intensifying shell fire across their frontline, fuelling fears of a potential Russian invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.

Walmart reported better-than-expected quarterly profits Thursday as strong consumer demand during the festive season offset the hit from higher costs.

French-Dutch aviation giant Air France-KLM on Thursday said its net loss narrowed by more than half last year but would need more capital strengthening measures due to the pandemic.

An influential cardinal opened a Vatican symposium on the priesthood Thursday apologising for "unworthy ministers" and the cover-up of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, before an audience that included Pope Francis.

Ex-president Armando Guebuza on Thursday took the witness stand in Mozambique's biggest corruption scandal, defending his government's decision to contract huge secret loans that triggered an economic crisis.

The piercing sounds of bagpipes reverberate in the cold air from men dressed in tartan kilts. But this is not Scotland, it's the curling at the Beijing Winter Olympics, and Zhang Ali has never even been to Britain.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was poised Thursday to step onto the ice in pursuit of her second Beijing Olympics title but with a dark cloud of doping hanging heavy over her.

Japan will ease its strict virus border rules to allow students and businesspeople into the country from March, but tourists will still be barred, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday.

Prop Mohamed Haouas, who was recently given a suspended sentence for his role in a series of burglaries, has been recalled to the France squad for the Six Nations match with Scotland.

Rescue workers raced against the clock searching for any remaining survivors among mud and wreckage after devastating flash floods and landslides hit the picturesque Brazilian city of Petropolis, as authorities said Thursday the death toll had risen to 104.

France announced Thursday that it was withdrawing troops from Mali due to a breakdown in relations with the country's ruling junta, after nearly 10 years of fighting a jihadist insurgency.

Michelle Gisin reflected on "the craziest rollercoaster" having battled back from illness to win Beijing Olympic gold in the alpine combined on Thursday.

Japan will ease its strict virus border rules to allow students and businesspeople into the country from March, but tourists will still be barred, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Thursday.

Formula One managing director Ross Brawn believes Mercedes and Red Bull could be off the pace when the new season starts next month after they were caught up in last year's "intense" world championship battle.

The shell crashed through Aicha Nur's flimsy hut just as she was serving a lunch of bread and milk to her nine-year-old son Tahir.

The crisis in Ukraine is a serious threat to the global economy's post-pandemic recovery, Indonesia's leader on Thursday warned a meeting of finance chiefs from the G20 nations.

Flags at half-mast, black ribbons everywhere and families devastated by grief: the Spanish port town of Marin was left reeling after a deadly shipwreck left 21 sailors dead or missing at sea.

Russia on Thursday announced more troop pullbacks from the Ukrainian border as Washington insisted that Moscow is still building up forces for a potential invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.

France announced on Thursday that it was withdrawing troops from Mali due to a breakdown in relations with the ruling junta, after nearly 10 years of fighting a jihadist insurgency.

Switzerland's ski cross head coach criticised Beijing Olympics judges after athlete Fanny Smith lost out on a bronze medal when she was penalised for kicking a rival in Thursday's women's final.

Ex-president Armando Guebuza was on Thursday expected to testify in Mozambique's biggest corruption scandal, an affair concerning secret loans contracted under his tenure that triggered an economic crisis.

Long experienced in calming rowdy parliamentary debates, Britain's speaker Lindsay Hoyle has stressed the need for "respect" during confrontation and urged rivals "turn the heat down" amid soaring tensions in Ukraine.

Mikaela Shiffrin says the prospect of leaving the Beijing Olympics without an individual medal makes her feel like a "joke" and denied that the weight of expectation had been at the root of her misfiring performances.

Beijing on Thursday dismissed the United States' assessment of China's World Trade Organization membership, saying its criticism had "no basis in international economic and trade rules".

Freestyle skier Jon Sallinen had an unfortunate cameraman to thank at the Beijing Olympics after crashing into him on Thursday, helping to provide a "cushion" from a heavy fall.

Ukrainian pensioner Lidiya Silina would take her trash out on the Belarusian side of the border opposite the twisty stream. That was until trouble started and the Russian tanks came.

Mikaela Shiffrin's last chance of winning an individual medal at the Beijing Olympics vanished on Thursday, while Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva was aiming for her second title under the cloud of doping.

Asian markets mostly dipped Thursday as investors assess the situation in Ukraine after the West said Russia had not started withdrawing troops from its border, while minutes from the Federal Reserve's January meeting eased concerns it was set to hike rates sharply.

Canada beat rivals the United States 3-2 to win women’s Olympic ice hockey gold on Thursday, avenging an emotional loss in the final four years ago and capping a dominant run in Beijing.

European aircraft giant Airbus posted record profits in 2021 after two years of losses as it cruises past the pandemic-induced crisis in the travel industry, company results showed Thursday.

Finance ministers and central bank governors of G20 nations began a two-day meeting Thursday with Indonesia's leader warning the Ukraine crisis was a threat to the post-pandemic recovery.

Mikaela Shiffrin will leave the Beijing Games without an individual medal after dramatically crashing out of Thursday's alpine combined won by Switzerland's Michelle Gisin.

From facial scrubs using coffee grounds to clothes made from plastic bottles and furniture decorated with agave fibres, efforts to upcycle or repurpose waste products are gaining traction in Britain.

Mikaela Shiffrin will leave the Beijing Games without an individual medal after dramatically crashing out of the slalom section of the alpine combined event on Thursday.

Australia's largest coal-fired power plant will shut in 2025 -- several years sooner than planned -- operators announced Thursday, saying the facility is no longer viable given the low cost of renewables.