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

Southern European countries braced Friday for a punishing weekend heatwave, with temperatures predicted to hit up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and beyond, prompting health warnings for residents and tourists plus fears of wildfires.

Tadej Pogacar will set off in defence of his Tour de France title on July 5 backed by a powerful squad which his UAE team unveiled on Friday.

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were to tie the knot Friday at a sumptuous ceremony with the rich and famous on an island in Venice's lagoon, out of the sight and sound of protesters.

European stocks rose Friday as the United States and China moved closer to a trade deal and as hopes of a further delay to reciprocal tariffs were boosted.

Carlos Alcaraz will start his Wimbledon defence against Fabio Fognini while world number one Jannik Sinner faces a potential semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic following Friday's draw.

Online hotel booking giant Booking.com on Friday said it had taken down thousands of advertisements in Spain in the leftist government's latest crackdown on illegal short-term tourist rentals.

Hong Kong's League of Social Democrats, one of the city's last remaining opposition parties after a five-year political crackdown by Beijing, said Friday that it will disband.

The UK government backed down Friday on controversial plans to slash disability and sickness benefits after a major rebellion by MPs, in a blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's authority.

Kusal Mendis struck a rapid 84 to put Sri Lanka in a commanding position on the third day of the second Test against Bangladesh at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Friday.

It's the most eagerly awaited show of Paris Men's Fashion Week. And for the last few days Dior's new creative director Jonathan Anderson has been dropping clues on social media about the contents of his first collection for the fabled French house.

This year's UN COP30 summit in Brazil was hotly-anticipated as a pivotal moment for the planet, as the world fast approaches a key global warming threshold.

China's top diplomat Wang Yi will head to Europe next week for talks with counterparts from the European Union, Germany and France, Beijing said on Friday as it seeks to shore up fraught ties with the bloc.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has left his position as manager of Leicester after relegation from the Premier League, the club announced on Friday.

Japan's agriculture minister said Friday the country would oppose any call by the European Union to add eels to an endangered species list that would limit trade in them.

From Inter Miami's Lionel Messi facing former side Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid meeting Juventus and Chelsea taking on Benfica, AFP Sport looks ahead to the Club World Cup last 16.

China confirmed on Friday details on the framework of a trade deal with the United States, saying Washington would lift "restrictive measures" while Beijing would "review and approve" items under export controls.

The dollar held around three-year lows Friday as traders ramp up bets on US interest rate cuts, while most stock markets rose on hopes Donald Trump will further delay imposing tough tariffs.

India has deported without trial to Bangladesh hundreds of people, officials from both sides said, drawing condemnation from activists and lawyers who call the recent expulsions illegal and based on ethnic profiling.

A British and Irish Lions demand that top Wallabies appear for their club sides to ensure competitive tour matches is yet to be resolved, Rugby Australia said on Friday.

It only took two days for Nigeria to raise $59 million through green bonds -- part of a funding drive for climate and environmental projects in a nation still hooked on oil.

Under the cover of darkness, Nomali jumped over a wall, burst into a museum and snatched a human skull from a pedestal before escaping through a window to the wail of an alarm.

With sky-high rents beyond his modest pension, Antonio Lemos has no choice but to live in an abandoned house in Lisbon without electricity or running water as Portugal's perennial housing crisis spirals.

Japan's rainy season ended at the earliest date on record in the country's western regions, meteorologists said Friday, as climate change makes global weather patterns less predictable.

The first time Barney Casserly used ketamine at a UK music festival he thought he had found "nirvana". Five years later he died in agony, leaving behind devastated parents and friends.

"Belem is ready," Brazilian officials have insisted ahead of the COP30 gathering in November -- but eye-watering lodging costs in the northern city have panicked many would-be attendees.

India has launched an investigation after an endangered tigress and her four cubs were found dead in a protected forest in the southern state of Karnataka, an official said Friday.

It's the most eagerly awaited show of Paris Men's Fashion Week. And for the last few days Dior's new creative director Jonathan Anderson has been dropping clues on social media about the contents of his first collection for the fabled French house.

Bangladesh's caretaker leader has ordered all government institutions including ministry buildings and schools to install solar panels to ease chronic power problems in a country regularly hit by deadly heatwaves.

Wallabies scrum-half Nic White has been waiting 12 years to face the British and Irish Lions and on Friday called it "proper spine-tingling stuff" to finally get the opportunity this weekend.

Jailed pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong shrugged and shook his head after a Hong Kong court this month announced a fresh charge of breaching the city's national security law.

Tibetans in exile celebrate the 90th birthday of spiritual leader the Dalai Lama next week, an occasion overshadowed by uncertainty about the future of the role and what it means for their movement.

With his flowing red monk's robes, beaming smile and contagious laugh, the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has been the charismatic global face of his people's cause for decades.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City demonstrated their Club World Cup credentials with a 5-2 victory over Juventus on Thursday while Vinicius Junior starred as Real Madrid beat Salzburg 3-0 to secure a spot in the last 16.

Asian markets rose Friday on fresh trade hopes and the dollar held around three-year lows amid bets of cuts to US interest rate cuts.

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are expected to tie the knot Friday at a sumptuous, secluded ceremony attended by celebrity friends on an island in Venice's lagoon.

Vinicius Junior scored one goal and made another with a touch of class as Real Madrid sealed their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup with a 3-0 win over Salzburg on Thursday.

Wimbledon is guaranteed to be picture-perfect when it gets under way next week but the courts will never look the same again after the demise of line judges.

Japan on Friday executed a man dubbed the "Twitter killer" who murdered and dismembered nine people he met online, in the nation's first enactment of the death penalty since 2022.

Spain will host a UN conference next week seeking fresh backing for development aid as swingeing cuts led by US President Donald Trump and global turmoil hinder progress on fighting poverty, hunger and climate change.