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

World number one Scottie Scheffler made a fine start to the British Open to sit three under par at a rain-swept Royal Portrush on Thursday as home favourite Rory McIlroy was roared on during a rollercoaster one-under par round.

An investigation has been opened into potentially fraudulent payments made by Kylian Mbappe to five police officers assigned to protect the French national football team, the public prosecutor's office told AFP on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a long-term but benign vein condition, the White House said Thursday following speculation about his heavily bruised hand and swollen legs.

Juul Labs said Thursday that the US Food and Drug Administration had officially authorized the e-cigarette maker to market its vaping system and refill capsules in the United States.

Thirty years after clambering through the ropes for his first professional fight as a skinny 16-year-old, Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring once more on Saturday for the latest round of his protracted battle with Father Time.

Austrian daredevil "fearless Felix" Baumgartner, who died on Thursday aged 56, stunned fans around the world by breaking the sound barrier in a hair-raising dive from the fringe of space more than a decade ago.

The United States' destruction of a warehouse worth of emergency food that had spoiled has drawn outrage, but lawmakers and aid workers say it is only one effect of President Donald Trump's abrupt slashing of foreign assistance.

Aitana Bonmati is feeling good ahead of Spain's quarter-final clash with hosts Switzerland at Women's Euro 2025 after recovering from a bout of viral meningitis which briefly threatened her tournament.

US President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a chronic but benign vein condition after seeking medical examination for swollen legs, the White House said Thursday.

The details of more than 100 Britons, including spies and special forces personnel, were included in a massive data breach involving thousands of Afghans, UK media reported Thursday.

US health authorities on Thursday began a reassessment of the risks surrounding Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), a treatment used by menopausal women around the world but long clouded by fear over its side effects.

A French appeals court Thursday ordered the release of pro-Palestinian Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, imprisoned for 40 years for the 1982 killings of two foreign diplomats.

"Downton Abbey" fans will be able to bid on props, costumes and other items from the hit TV show and movies, with the announcement Thursday of a "farewell" auction and showcase starting next month.

World number one Scottie Scheffler blamed wild weather conditions for his wayward driving, but the American still shot a three-under-par first round at the British Open to sit one shot off the lead on Thursday.

Former world number two Ons Jabeur announced on Thursday she was going to "take a step back and finally put myself first", after two difficult years on the circuit.

Britain and Germany signed landmark deals Wednesday to boost defence ties and crackdown on people smuggling gangs on the first official visit to the UK by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg and other company board members settled a shareholder lawsuit on Thursday concerning decisions made in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal.

A jump in US retail sales boosted world markets Thursday even as investors mulled the US rates outlook, US President Donald Trump's tariffs and the future of Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell.

Syrian troops pulled out of the Druze heartland province of Sweida on orders from the Islamist-led government, following days of deadly clashes that killed more than 500 people, according to a war monitor.

Content moderators at the German branch of social media giant TikTok sounded the alarm Thursday about what they say is a plan to replace them with artificial intelligence, potentially putting platform users at risk.

Tadej Pogacar reclaimed the leader's yellow jersey at the Tour de France with an imperious stage 12 triumph on the Hautacam mountain in the Pyrenees on Thursday.

Ruth Chepngetich, the Kenyan who shattered the women's marathon world record last year, has been provisionally suspended on suspicion of doping, the Athletics Integrity Unit said on Thursday.

The EU executive is preparing a list of proposed restrictions on US services companies -- including tech giants -- should Brussels fail to strike a trade deal with Washington, European diplomats said on Thursday.

Reigning MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin said on Thursday he would stay with the Aprilia team for the 2026 season, dispelling doubts about his future.

An Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church killed three people on Thursday, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, as Israel said it "never targets" religious sites and regretted any harm to civilians.

Oleksandr Usyk has slammed claims that his age could be the decisive factor in Saturday's undisputed world heavyweight title clash with Daniel Dubois.

Noelle Maritz said Thursday that fervent home support will help Switzerland in their task of beating world champions Spain in the quarter-finals of Women's Euro 2025.

Dozens of Druze crowded the Israeli-controlled side of the armistice line in the occupied Golan Heights on Thursday, hoping to catch a glimpse of relatives on the Syrian-held side who might try to cross the barbed-wire frontier.

US health authorities are set Thursday to reassess Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), a treatment used by menopausal women around the world but long clouded by debate over its risks.

World number one Scottie Scheffler made a fine start to his quest for a first British Open with a three-under par round of 68 to sit one off the lead at a rain-swept Royal Portrush on Thursday.

A leading rights group investigating corruption in El Salvador has been forced into exile due to a crackdown by President Nayib Bukele's administration, two of its members said Thursday.

Shocked, sad but determined to dance, tens of thousands of electronic music enthusiasts started to arrive at Tomorrowland in Belgium Thursday, a day after the festival's main stage went up in flames.

Serie A champions Napoli announced Thursday the signing of Netherlands attacker Noa Lang from PSV Eindhoven.

Lee Westwood said the fact Royal Portrush was the host course inspired him to enter qualifying for this week's British Open, after firing an impressive first-round 69 on Thursday.

The British government said Thursday it would allow 16 year-olds to vote in general elections, a landmark change giving the UK one of the lowest voting ages worldwide.

Sri Lankan authorities returned six orphaned and injured elephants to the wild on Thursday after nursing them back to health under a long-running conservation project, officials said.

Russian lawmakers on Thursday advanced a bill that would outlaw opening or searching for content online judged "extremist", such as songs glorifying Ukraine and material by feminist rock band Pussy Riot.

Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine's new prime minister, represents a generation of young Ukrainian politicians who have steered their country through the turmoil of war.

Britain sought a firm commitment Thursday from Germany to change its law to help smash people smuggling gangs, as the two countries agreed to boost defence ties on the first official UK visit by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.