- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
Venice gets surge of star power, from Lady Gaga to Pitt, Clooney
Stars from Angelina Jolie to George Clooney will gather this week at the Venice Film Festival, bringing a high dose of Hollywood pizzazz back to the watery city's sandy Lido.
With 21 films vying for the top Golden Lion prize, the 81st edition of the prestigious festival kicks off Wednesday, with Lady Gaga, Daniel Craig and Brad Pitt expected on the red carpet during the 10-day affair.
The dazzle is welcome after Hollywood strikes last year kept most studio films and their A-lister stars away from the world's longest-running festival, known as "La Mostra".
In the spotlight, but out of competition, is "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice", the long anticipated sequel to Tim Burton's 1988 cult classic that opens the festival Wednesday, with Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder reprising their original roles.
High-profile contenders in the main competition include Todd Phillips' "Joker: Folie a Deux", the sequel to the US director's 2019 Venice-winning film that sees Joaquin Phoenix paired with Lady Gaga, and "Queer" from Italy's Luca Guadagnino starring Craig, based on the William Burroughs novel set in 1940s Mexico City.
Jolie headlines "Maria", a Maria Callas biopic from Chile's Pablo Larrain who returns to Venice following his Diana drama "Spencer" in 2021, while Nicole Kidman and Antonio Banderas star in erotic thriller "Babygirl" from Dutch director Halina Reijn.
To keep the drama on the screen -- and avoid it behind-the-scenes -- "Maria" will premiere on the festival's first full day Thursday, while "Wolfs" starring Jolie's ex, Brad Pitt, will screen out of competition on Sunday.
Joining Pitt in the Apple TV+ film from "Spider-Man" director Jon Watts is Clooney, with the actors playing rival professional fixers in the action comedy.
The main competition also includes the first full-length film in English for Venice regular, Spain's Pedro Almodovar -- "The Room Next Door" with Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore -- while "The Order" from Australian director Justin Kurzel sees Jude Law playing an FBI agent investigating a terror ring in the Pacific Northwest.
- Weaver, Costner and Kline -
Wednesday's opening night will feature the introduction of the international jury led by its president, French actress Isabelle Huppert, and the awarding of an honorary Golden Lion for lifetime achievement to "Alien" star, US actress Sigourney Weaver.
Also having its out-of-competition debut is the second chapter of Kevin Costner's "Horizon: An American Saga". The first part of the actor-director's Western epic premiered at Cannes in May.
Running until September 7, the international festival has increasingly become known for showcasing films that go on to Oscar glory for its directors and cast members, including former Golden Lion winners "Poor Things", "Nomadland" and "Joker".
Unlike at the rival Cannes Film Festival, Venice accepts films produced by streaming services in competition, especially Netflix, which has found great success launching titles such as "Maestro" and "Roma" at the Italian festival.
Besides "Wolfs", Apple TV+ also produced "Disclaimer", a thriller series starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline and Sacha Baron Cohen which is also having its premiere in Venice.
T.Vitorino--PC