
-
Vital European defence startups still facing hurdles
-
'I don't have a voice in my head': Life with no inner monologue
-
Pakistan chasing 265 to win shortened third New Zealand ODI
-
US soybeans, energy: Who is hit by China's tariff retaliation?
-
Green, Sengun lift Rockets over Thunder, Celtics clinch record
-
Ariya downs defending champ Korda to advance at LPGA Match Play
-
Ovechkin ties Gretzky's all-time record of 894 NHL goals
-
Under-pressure Doohan vows to learn from Japanese GP smash
-
Harman goes four clear at Texas Open
-
McLaughlin-Levrone, Thomas cruise to wins at opening Grand Slam Track
-
US cardinal defrocked for sex abuse dies at 94
-
Lula admits 'still a lot to do' for Indigenous Brazilians
-
England, Germany and Spain on mark in women's Nations League
-
Judge orders return to US of Salvadoran man deported in error
-
Amadou of Malian blind music duo dies aged 70
-
Freeman hat-trick eases Northampton into Champions Cup quarters with Clermont win
-
Defiant Trump dismisses stock market's tariff plunge
-
Musiala injury sours Bayern win at Augsburg
-
Peruvian schoolkids living in fear of extortion gangs
-
Top seed Pegula rallies to oust defending champ Collins in Charleston
-
Amadou of Malian blind music duo Amadou & Mariam dies aged 70
-
California to defy Trump's tariffs to allay global trade fears
-
Bayern's Musiala subbed off with injury days out from Inter clash
-
Russian strike kills 16 in Ukraine leader's home city, children among dead
-
NBA fines Grizzlies' Morant for imaginary gun gesture
-
Trump tariffs offer opportunity for China
-
UK comedian Russell Brand charged with rape
-
Marsh, Markram help Lucknow edge Mumbai in IPL
-
Israel attorney general accuses PM of 'conflict of interest' in security chief dismissal
-
Emery glad to see Rashford make landmark appearance
-
Sean 'Diddy' Combs faces more charges ahead of criminal trial
-
Russian missile strike kills 14 in Ukraine leader's home city
-
Trump's tariff Big Bang puts global economy under threat
-
I Am Maximus backed for National as Mullins hot streak continues
-
2014 World Cup winner Hummels to retire at season's end
-
Intercommunal violence kills dozens in central Nigeria
-
Nigerian, S. African music saw 'extraordinary growth' in 2024: Spotify
-
Russell Brand: From Hollywood star to rape suspect
-
France soccer star Mbappe unveiled in London... in waxwork form
-
Trump goads China as global trade war escalates
-
Israel expands Gaza ground offensive, hits Hamas in Lebanon
-
TikTok faces new US deadline to ditch Chinese owner
-
US Fed Chair warns tariffs will likely raise inflation, cool growth
-
Mbappe among three Real Madrid players fined for 'indecent conduct'
-
How can the EU respond to Trump tariffs?
-
Canada loses jobs for first time in 3 years as US tariffs bite
-
Real Madrid and Barcelona respect each other, says Ancelotti
-
Nations divided ahead of decisive week for shipping emissions
-
Trump goads China after Beijing retaliates in global trade war
-
Arteta urges Arsenal to enjoy "beautiful" run-in despite injury woes
RBGPF | 100% | 69.02 | $ | |
NGG | -5.25% | 65.93 | $ | |
BCC | 0.85% | 95.44 | $ | |
GSK | -6.79% | 36.53 | $ | |
SCS | -0.56% | 10.68 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.13% | 22.29 | $ | |
AZN | -7.98% | 68.46 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.7% | 22.83 | $ | |
RELX | -6.81% | 48.16 | $ | |
RIO | -6.88% | 54.67 | $ | |
RYCEF | -18.79% | 8.25 | $ | |
JRI | -7.19% | 11.96 | $ | |
VOD | -10.24% | 8.5 | $ | |
BCE | 0.22% | 22.71 | $ | |
BTI | -5.17% | 39.86 | $ | |
BP | -10.43% | 28.38 | $ |

Italy's tiny curling community rejoices at Olympic triumph
Italy's curling heroics at the Winter Olympics has unearthed a sudden enthusiasm which the country's tiny curling community hopes will raise its profile enough to complete with more popular winter sports like alpine skiing.
Amos Mosaner and Stefania Constantini claimed the first curling title of the Beijing Games on Tuesday when they beat Norwegian husband-and-wife pairing of Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten 8-5 to take gold in the mixed doubles.
The pair will defend Italy's first ever Olympic medal in the sport -- which is dominated by northern Europeans and North America -- on home soil in four years' time, bringing joy to the just 333 people who officially practise curling in the Mediterranean country.
"I cried with happiness, it's a victory for everyone in Italian curling," Angela Romei, a member of Italy's national team, told AFP.
Romei, 24, didn't manage to qualify for the Beijing Games but is convinced that her teammates' trumph "is a signal that we are on the right path".
Enthusiasts now hope the sport will get a huge boost as Italy prepares to host the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Italian winter sports federation FISG says that the country's curlers are spread over 28 clubs, with only around 20 top-level players and half a dozen professionals.
Italy first competed in Olympic curling in 2006 as host nation for that year's Games in Turin but only qualified for the first time four years ago, with the men's team taking part in Pyeongchang.
Mosaner and Constantini are the first Italians to compete in the mixed event, which was introduced as an Olympic discipline in 2018.
"Until the last few days I was often asked 'but is it really a sport?', or 'do you really need to train?'... there was very little awareness or respect," says Romei, who discovered the sport herself via an episode of "The Simpsons".
"It's an Olympic sport! It requires physical and mental preparation. The matches are long and you have to know how to keep your head if you make a mistake."
While Italy has become a force in curling, it remains difficult to find a place to play the sport.
- 'Priceless for our sport' -
The three main training centres are all located in the far north of the country: Cortina D'Ampezzo, which is hosting the 2026 Games alongside Milan, Pinerolo at the foot of the Alps, and Trento.
The stated challenge for the FISG now is to increase the number of players and take the sport to the big cities like Milan and Rome.
"What happened is priceless for our sport," former Italian international Adriano Lorenzi told AFP.
Now 61, Lorenzi is a coach at Constantini's club Curling Club Dolomiti in Cortina, the heartland of Italian curling and where the country's first curling sheets appeared around 1930.
"We are trying to keep the tradition alive," says Lorenzi, who is expecting a big party when Constantini returns home at the weekend.
"We have a large pool of young people who we hope will be able to apply for the 2026 Games."
Her and Mosaner's coach Claudio Pescia is hoping for a windfall which will further help curling become a bigger sport in Italy.
"For the athletes, it's very important. Italy is very generous if you win a medal," he said.
"In general, you then have a programme for two years. Some kind of funding for the next two years, then an extra fee for the medal.
"But I really hope that not only athletes but the whole movement gets a little bit more funding to take advantage of this momentum we have."
H.Portela--PC