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

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Ordered to flee their homes as wildfires raged nearby, Spanish villagers often only had minutes to seize what they could: most pets were banned and some had no chance to grab their medicine.

Former All Blacks and Scotland assistant Brad Mooar was Monday appointed head coach of Super Rugby side Fijian Drua.

New Zealand coach Dave Rennie named three uncapped players in a 44-strong squad Monday while Reiko Ioane and Fabian Holland return for the All Blacks tour of South Africa, an assignment he called "the toughest in rugby".

US sprint star Noah Lyles pulled up with cramp in the 200m final at the US athletics championships on Sunday, his bid for a title double undone as Garrett Kaalund claimed the victory.

Noah Lyles said rest and rehydration would put him right after cramp prompted him to pull up in the 200m final at the US athletics championships, a disappointment that only increased his admiration for Jamaican sprint great Usain Bolt.

Retired major league All-Star outfielders Carlos Beltran of Puerto Rico and Andruw Jones of Curacao and American second baseman Jeff Kent were inducted Sunday into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Firefighters faced another day battling massive blazes scorching forests across France and Spain Monday, with a forecast of another heatwave in southwest France threatening to complicate matters.

Jackson Koivun, playing only his third PGA Tour event as a professional, held off top-ranked Scottie Scheffler in Sunday's final round to capture the 3M Open in record fashion.

US sprint star Noah Lyles pulled up with cramp in the 200m final at the US athletics championships on Sunday, his bid for a title double undone as Garrett Kaalund claimed the victory.

Shan Masood anchored a strong reply by Pakistan with the visitors reaching 199 for three in reply to the West Indies first innings total of 311 at the close of the second day of the first Test at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Sunday.

Australian swimming great Cameron McEvoy blew away the field to win his first individual Commonwealth Games gold in the 50 metres freestyle as England's Adam Ramsay-Peaty bounced back to reach the final of the 50m breaststroke.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will on Monday host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as his first foreign leader since taking office a week ago, to underline London's "unwavering support" for Kyiv.

Brazil recalled its ambassador to Argentina for consultations Sunday following "insults" leveled by President Javier Milei against his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and others at a Sao Paulo political event, the foreign ministry said.

Tadej Pogacar said he was looking forward to taking some time off and enjoying the "small things" in life after making Tour de France history on Sunday.

Forests burned and villages emptied as more than 325,000 people fled blazes tearing through France and Spain on Sunday, with firefighters struggling to contain flames stretching kilometres.

Adam Ramsay-Peaty said he has a "battle plan" to bounce back from his tearful Commonwealth Games disappointment in the 100m breaststroke to strike gold in Monday's 50m final.

Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster, "The Odyssey," retained the top spot at the North American box office in its second week, taking in an additional $87 million, industry estimates showed Sunday.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art -- founded by legendary "Star Wars" creator George Lucas and his wife -- will see previously undisplayed items from the hit sci-fi series after it opens later this year, its curator told AFP.

Tadej Pogacar ticked off a "big goal" as he claimed his record-equalling fifth Tour de France title as Mathieu van der Poel won a sensational 21st and final stage around Paris on Sunday.

Tadej Pogacar romped to another dominant Tour de France victory but cycling fans were treated to a glimpse into the future with the battle for the best young rider's white jersey.

Tadej Pogacar's main rivals Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel have both described the five-time Tour de France winner as the greatest cyclist of all time.

Mathieu van der Poel achieved a career dream by winning the final stage of the Tour de France on the famous Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on Sunday.

German police said Sunday they had shot and killed the chief suspect in what officials described as a deadly Islamist attack near the Berlin Pride parade the previous night, the latest ramming assault to hit the country.

Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez -- who was serving a 45-year prison sentence in the United States for drug trafficking until President Donald Trump pardoned him last year -- returned to his home country on Sunday.

Plumes of smoke rose above a vast sea of pine trees outside Bordeaux as firefighters in gleaming helmets rushed to douse emerging flames before they could spread.

Tadej Pogacar claimed his record-equalling fifth Tour de France title as Mathieu van der Poel won a sensational 21st and final stage around Paris on Sunday.

World championship leader Kimi Antonelli said he was proud of his and Mercedes’ damage limitation efforts on Sunday after he finished third to extend his advantage in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen continued to complain about his car and put pressure on his Red Bull team on Sunday despite securing his second consecutive podium finish and a third in four races.

Iran and the United States held their fire Sunday, handing Gulf shipping and the oil industry a respite from missile strikes as Donald Trump's UN envoy said the president was "giving talks some space".

France fought an "unpredictable" wildfire close to Bordeaux on Sunday while Spain warned of "difficult hours" in its own fiery battle, with evacuations from danger zones in both countries mounting to well over 325,000 people.

Germans on Sunday mourned a deadly Islamist attack near Berlin Pride, while police were hunting for a 21-year-old suspect in the latest ramming assault to shake Germany.