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

The Israeli military destroyed a high-rise in Gaza City on Friday, shortly after announcing it would target tall buildings identified as being used by Hamas ahead of its planned seizure of the Palestinian territory's biggest city.

Gennaro Gattuso got off to an impressive start as Italy coach with Friday's 5-0 thumping of Estonia as he bids to stop the Azzurri missing out on a third straight World Cup.

Anthropic will pay at least $1.5 billion to settle a US class action lawsuit over pirated books allegedly used to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models, according to court documents filed Friday.

Inter Miami star Luis Suarez has been handed a six-match suspension for his actions following last weekend's stormy Leagues Cup final defeat to the Seattle Sounders, tournament disciplinary chiefs said on Friday.

The EU on Friday slapped Google with a massive 2.95 billion euros ($3.47 billion) antitrust fine for favoring its own advertising services, drawing a furious rebuke from President Donald Trump and a threat of fresh tariffs against Europe.

Portuguese rider Joao Almeida climbed to victory in the 'queen' stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana on Friday ahead of Danish race leader Jonas Vingegaard as repeated roadside pro-Palestinian protests continued to upset the peloton.

Paraguay celebrated an impromptu national holiday Friday after a draw against Ecuador saw the South American nation qualify for its first Football World Cup in 16 years.

Gustave Eiffel, who designed France's world-famous monument, had the names of 72 scholars inscribed on the base of the tower in golden letters. All of them men.

South Koreans suspected of working in the United States illegally were the majority of the 475 people arrested in a raid on a Hyundai-LG battery plant being built in the southern state of Georgia, a US official said Friday.

The Lebanese military will begin implementing its plan to disarm Iran-backed Hezbollah, the government said on Friday following a cabinet meeting, amid opposition from the group and its allies.

At its premiere, a powerful new Gaza film at the Venice Film Festival sparked 23 minutes of sustained applause. But the next day hate emails flooded in, the director said Friday.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer says he had no idea that a sponsor of his NBA club reportedly was paying superstar Kawhi Leonard $28 million for a no-work job.

Pope Leo XIV inaugurated a new training centre devoted to sustainability on the outskirts of Rome on Friday, following in his predecessor Francis's efforts to champion the environment.

Ferrari fans have been left disillusioned by Lewis Hamilton's dismal first season at Formula One's biggest team which has failed to live up to hype.

The EU on Friday slapped Google with a massive 2.95 billion euro ($3.47 billion) antitrust fine for favouring its own advertising services, despite President Donald Trump's warnings not to target US big tech.

England announced Friday they were resting opening batsman Ben Duckett from an upcoming T20 series against South Africa following successive one-day international losses to the Proteas, with Sam Curran recalled for the first time this year.

Brad Binder set a lap record on Friday as KTM dominated opening practice for the Catalunya MotoGP at Montmelo.

Spanish banking giant BBVA said on Friday its tender offer for smaller national rival Sabadell would start on Monday after its hostile bid received the stock market regulator's green light.

Boxing chiefs on Friday pledged to redouble efforts to get their message across about newly introduced genetic sex tests after a row overshadowed the start of the world championships.

Lando Norris was fastest in the second practice session at the Italian Grand Prix on Friday as the McLaren driver bids to cut into his teammate Osar Piastri's handy Formula One championship lead.

Seizing Russian central bank assets immobilised in the 27-nation EU over the Ukraine war risks inflicting major damage on Europe's economy, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told AFP Friday.

A wave of arrests and the death of jailed opposition figures has signalled a new "era of repression" in Nicaragua, observers say, as powerful co-president Rosario Murillo prepares to take power from her ailing husband, Daniel Ortega.

Mpox no longer represents a global public health emergency, the WHO said Friday, following a steady decline in cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other affected countries.

Weak US jobs data cemented expectations of an interest rate cut later this month on Friday but stocks slid on worries about the economic outlook and profit-taking.

The EU slapped Google with a massive 2.95 billion euro ($3.47 billion) antitrust fine for favouring its own advertising services Friday, despite President Donald Trump's warnings not to target US big tech.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer overhauled his ministerial team Friday in a bid to reset his embattled government after deputy premier Angela Rayner resigned for underpaying a property tax.

Portuguese rider Joao Almeida climbed to victory in the 'queen' stage 13 of the Vuelta a Espana on Friday, just ahead of Danish race leader Jonas Vingegaard as repeated roadside pro-Palestinian protests continued to upset the peloton.

President Donald Trump is rebranding the Defense Department as the Department of War -- a name used when it had more limited responsibilities for US Army forces rather than the entire military.

British hard-right leader Nigel Farage rallied his insurgent Reform party at the start of its annual conference Friday, seizing on the Labour government's woes to insist his movement could seize power within two years.

The Israel-Premier Tech team insists it will ride on in the Vuelta a Espana, even though repeated roadside pro-Palestinian protests forced one stage to be curtailed and several of its riders say they are scared.

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told AFP Friday that the EU's credibility on foreign policy was "collapsing" due to the bloc's failure to act over Israel's war in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump is sending 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of his war on drug cartels, sources familiar with the matter told AFP on Friday, as tensions mount with Venezuela over Washington's military build-up in the Caribbean.

Amanda Anisimova will bid to crown her improbable redemption mission at the US Open on Saturday as world number one Aryna Sabalenka seeks to grab her final chance of the year to win a Grand Slam.

David Bowie was working on an "18th century" themed musical at the time of his death, which will feature in a new London centre dedicated to the seminal British artist, the BBC reported Friday.

Women's Super League newcomers London City Lionesses have completed the signing of Paris Saint-Germain's Grace Geyoro for one of the largest transfer fees in the history of women's football.

Tesla unveiled on Friday a proposed compensation package for Elon Musk that could top $1 trillion if the controversial CEO delivers on his vision for stratospheric growth from new technologies.

Shiite ministers walked out of a Lebanese cabinet meeting Friday called to discuss efforts to disarm Hezbollah, state media reported, with the group adamant it would hold onto its weapons.

Stocks rose and the dollar slid Friday as a sharp slowdown in US hiring cemented expectations that the US Federal Reserve will resume cutting interest rates later this month.

A new documentary featuring never-before-seen footage of a pivotal moment in folk music history taps into a revival of interest in Bob Dylan thanks to recent biopic "A Complete Unknown", which starred Timothee Chalamet.