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

"Iris," a monumental painting by Impressionist Claude Monet, sold for 50 million euros ($56 million) including buyer fees in Paris on Thursday, becoming the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in France.

Efforts to rekindle the desirability of troubled Italian fashion house Gucci failed to boost sales in the third quarter, with its parent company Kering reporting Thursday a flat performance in a softer luxury market.

L'Oreal said Thursday its third quarter sales rose by double digits as the French cosmetics giant appeared to have dodged the stagnation affecting much of the luxury industry.

Tens of thousands of supporters of Serbia's opposition student movement gathered in central Belgrade on Thursday, as the country's longtime leader Aleksandar Vucic rallied across town at the duelling final events ahead of pivotal parliamentary elections.

Janith Liyanage smashed a six off the penultimate ball as Sri Lanka completed the second-highest successful run chase in ODI history, scoring 430-8 to beat England in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

Former Tokyo marathon winner Ruti Aga has been banned for six years for taking a banned substance and then trying to mislead investigators, the Athletics Integrity Unity (AIU) said on Thursday.

A Guatemalan court has sentenced seven former police officers to up to 60 years in prison over the "extrajudicial execution" of a gay couple, killings denounced by human rights groups as a hate crime.

The United States will host the inaugural women's football Club World Cup in 2028, FIFA announced Thursday.

A huge trove of Horatio Nelson's letters, in which the British naval commander fantasises about his lover, Emma Hamilton, plans battles and scrawls after losing an arm, is expected to fetch millions at auction in London.

Finland's government has granted an operating licence for the world's first permanent repository for radioactive spent nuclear fuel, waste management company Posiva said Thursday, 22 years after construction began on the site.

Canada, which is in the midst of a trade war with the United States, opened talks with Turkey Thursday on a free trade agreement during a landmark visit by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said his team beat Australia by playing "good old Test cricket" as the hosts levelled the three-match series with a win by an innings and 31 runs at St George's Park on Thursday.

A Swiss and an Austrian woman kidnapped by suspected jihadists in Niger more than a year and a half ago have been freed, their countries announced Thursday, after Libya's reported intervention.

The days of having to take out the trash or wash the dishes before leaving an Airbnb are numbered as the short-term rental platform is tightening rules on what conditions hosts may impose on guests.

An Austrian-born resistance fighter who escaped fascism, imprisonment and Nazi occupation before helping the French Resistance during World War II, has died aged 105, local authorities said Sunday.

Switzerland's supreme court announced Thursday it had rejected the appeal of former Guatemalan police chief Erwin Sperisen, jailed for 14 years over the 2006 extrajudicial killings of seven jail inmates.

In a Paris gun shop, business is booming ahead of fresh protests on Saturday, its owner told AFP, explaining that store owners fearing confrontations with looters were among his best customers.

The United Nations' climate loss and damage fund moved Thursday to provide $20 million in aid sought by flood-stricken Nepal, the first time it has set aside money for any country, in a key test of the body's credibility.

Sixteen writers -- half French-speaking and half Japanese -- boarded a luxury train in Kyoto on Thursday, faced with the unusual task of collectively writing a novel in under 24 hours.

The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that Africa faced a "complex" Ebola outbreak after the virus crossed from east Africa to Nigeria, which has reported the first case in the west of the continent.

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin on Thursday announced a 10-year agreement for the production of 850 F-35 warplanes, underscoring Washington's long-term commitment to the high-tech stealth aircraft.

A retired US teacher freed by President Vladimir Putin after four years' detention in Russia for allegedly fighting on behalf of Ukraine has returned to the United States, his lawyer said Thursday.

An inspired Harry Brook scored the fastest double hundred in ODI history as England piled up 429-4 against Sri Lanka in the tri-series in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

The son of Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi told AFP she sounded "fairly healthy" after speaking to the detained ex-democratic leader on Thursday for the first time in more than five years.

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin announced Thursday a 10-year agreement for the production of 850 F-35 warplanes, underscoring Washington's long-term commitment to the stealth aircraft.

World number one Elena Rybakina reached the quarter-finals of the Ningbo Open on Thursday on her return from injury when opponent Polina Kudermetova retired.

French authorities on Thursday imposed bans or restrictions on fresh protests springing up in the wake of demonstrations last weekend that degenerated into the worst street violence in years.

Belligerent batting by Sanju Samson saw India chase 226 for victory against New Zealand in Christchurch on Thursday in a rematch of the T20 World Cup final.

Nearly all of the world's shallow-water coral reefs face an "extremely high risk" of collapse by 2075 due to climate change, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned Thursday.

AI chip giant Nvidia's boss Jensen Huang said on Thursday that warnings artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity were "cheap" attempts to grab headlines.

Enzo Maresca said it is his job as Manchester City boss to help Phil Foden rediscover his best form after the England international ended his long goal drought.

Alexandra Eala crashed out in the Ningbo Open last 16 on Thursday as the Philippine history-maker suffered a battling straight-sets defeat to Diana Shnaider.