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

Jeffrey Epstein cultivated a global network of politicians, top business executives, academics and celebrities, many of whom have been severely tainted by association with the convicted sex offender.

When Brazilian businessman Daniel Vorcaro was arrested last year over what may be the country's biggest ever banking fraud scandal, he boasted to police that he had friends in high places.

The argument that sport and politics should not mix could be tested at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, when Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny performs against a backdrop of fury from right-wing critics.

Arsenal could take another giant step towards the Premier League title with victory over Sunderland on Saturday before Manchester City face a daunting trip to Liverpool.

The New England Patriots will seek a record seventh Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in a wide-open clash between two teams nobody expected to reach American football's biggest stage.

Chris Gotterup is off to another hot start in his bid to claim a second US PGA Tour title of 2026 at the Phoenix Open, where frustrated world number one Scottie Scheffler was 10 shots off the pace.

Canada and France, which both adamantly oppose Donald Trump's wish to control Greenland, will open consulates in the Danish autonomous territory's capital on Friday, in a strong show of support for the local government.

Several hundred people rallied outside The Washington Post headquarters Thursday to protest its decision to lay off hundreds of journalists, including most of its overseas staff.

New Zealand's deputy prime minister brushed off criticism on Friday of his claims that colonisation had been positive for the country's Indigenous population and labelled hecklers "muppets".

Amazon shares dove more than 11 percent on Thursday as the computing and retail titan reported strong sales but significantly boosted spending estimates.

France head coach Fabien Galthie lauded his team's attacking performance after their dazzling 36-14 victory over Ireland in their Six Nations opener on Thursday.

Argentina's right-wing government stepped up its standoff with the media on Thursday by launching a social media account to "debunk" what it called media lies about libertarian President Javier Milei.

One of Australia's most famous gangsters will walk free after prosecutors Friday said they would drop a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges.

France captain Antoine Dupont rued a second-half stutter but said that Thursday's often brilliant 36-14 Six Nations win over Ireland in Paris was "a good sign for what's to come".

Cuba is prepared to hold dialogue with the United States but not under pressure, President Miguel Diaz-Canel insisted Thursday after months of threats from US President Donald Trump.

The San Francisco 49ers were named on Thursday to face the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL's first regular-season game in Australia, set for Melbourne later this year.

Reiging champions France threw down an ominous marker for their Six Nations rivals as Louis Bielle-Biarrey inspired them to a 36-14 victory over Ireland on Thursday.

The Olympic flame arrived in Milan on Thursday ahead of the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Games, while US Vice President JD Vance arrived with a message of unity for the American team.

Olympic champion Su Yiming survived a major scare in big air qualifying on Thursday as Japan's Hiroto Ogiwara topped the leaderboard on the first day of snowboarding at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

The last 89 Christians held captive since criminal gangs attacked three churches in northern Nigeria in mid-January were released on Thursday, following a spate of mass kidnappings in the country.

Cuba is prepared to hold dialogue with the United States but not under pressure, President Miguel Diaz-Canel insisted Thursday after months of threats from US President Donald Trump.

Famine is spreading in Sudan's western Darfur region, UN-backed experts warned on Thursday, as a grinding war between the army and paramilitary forces has left millions hungry, displaced and cut off from aid.

The flame for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics arrived in front of Milan's gothic Duomo Thursday, to cheers and applause from waiting crowds.

Congo-Brazzaville's 82-year-old President Denis Sassou Nguesso said Thursday he would run for a new term in elections next March, seeking to extend his more than four decades in power.

US Olympic snowboard champion Chloe Kim said Thursday she was proud to represent a country that is "strongest when it embraces diversity, dignity, and hope" as she arrived at the Milan-Cortina Winter Games.

Dissident Iranian film director Jafar Panahi told AFP he believes ordinary Iranians risk being "sacrificed" in talks between Iran and the United States on Friday, with his country still "in shock" over a deadly crackdown on protests.

Leicester are at risk of falling into English football's third tier, a decade on from their stunning Premier League triumph, after being docked six points for breaches of financial rules on Thursday.

A deadly storm that triggered floods and thousands of evacuations in the Iberian Peninsula sparked calls on Thursday for Portugal's presidential run-off to be postponed, but electoral officials insisted it would go ahead.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday called for a brand new nuclear treaty after the last agreement with Russia expired, prompting fears of a new global arms race.

First, the jihadists sent a letter saying they were coming to the village to preach, said Nigerian chief Umar Bio Salihu.

Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday cancelled a mandate for all vehicles sold in Canada to be electric by 2035, while announcing major investments to support the auto industry's EV transition.

Not even the bitter cold could stifle Ivan Roman's joy when he received news of his child from the Ukrainian army at noon on Thursday: "Congratulations. Your son has been released," the message read, two years after Russia captured the young soldier.

Bad Bunny on Thursday pledged to bring Puerto Rican culture to his historic and highly anticipated Super Bowl half-time show that has triggered fury among right-wing US critics.

Venezuelan MPs on Thursday started examining an amnesty bill which will cover "treason" and other charges used to lock up dissidents, but not "serious violations" committed over 27 years of socialist rule, a draft showed.

In an ironic twist, lower air pollution during Covid lockdowns fuelled an unprecedented surge in the powerful greenhouse gas methane in the early 2020s, a study said Thursday.

Anti-doping chiefs at the Winter Olympics said on Thursday they they would investigate bizarre claims that Olympic ski jumpers are injecting hyaluronic acid into their penises to get a competitive advantage.

England are sweating on the fitness of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso ahead of their Six Nations opener at home to Wales after the wing failed to finish training on Thursday.

The EU executive on Thursday expressed support for Spain after Telegram founder Pavel Durov slammed Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez over his plan to ban social media for children.

Novo Nordisk said Thursday it would take legal action against a US chain offering a copycat of the new pill version of its Wegovy weight-loss drug.