Monaco Journal - News from Monaco, Monte-Carlo and the world

Iranian and US officials said Friday a deal to end the Middle East war was closer than ever, with mediator Pakistan also expressing optimism that an elusive agreement was within reach.

Football idol David Beckham joined the ranks of entertainment royalty on Friday when he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, hours before the United States hosts its first game of the 2026 World Cup.

As Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama appeared at a rally of jubilant supporters on Friday in Tirana, thousands were already filling a nearby boulevard, repeating daily calls for his resignation.

Alex Grimaldo believes Spain can emulate their Golden Generation by winning the World Cup two years after being crowned European champions.

Britain's Katie Boulter shocked world number two Elena Rybakina with the most impressive win of her career in the Queen's Club quarter-finals on Friday.

The New York Knicks authored the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history to put themselves on the cusp of a title but say they can't keep falling so far behind if they want to lift the trophy for the first time in more than 50 years.

British artist David Hockney, who has died at the age of 88, spoke to AFP in 2021 about spending the months of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in France.

Shares in Elon Musk's SpaceX closed almost 20 percent higher on their trading debut Friday after the biggest IPO in history, making the polarizing entrepreneur the world's first trillionaire as he vowed to take humanity to Mars.

US actor Justin Baldoni must pay legal fees but not damages to "It Ends with Us" co-star Blake Lively, a New York judge ruled Friday, settling a years-long legal battle.

President Donald Trump called the US World Cup squad ahead of their debut match against Paraguay, the team said Friday.

Thomas Partey, who is facing trial in Britain on rape charges, will miss Ghana's World Cup opener against Panama after Canadian authorities denied him a visa, FIFA said on Friday.

The European Union will resume membership talks with Ukraine on Monday, the bloc announced, after Hungary lifted the veto imposed by its previous pro-Russian leader.

Victor Wembanyama says the San Antonio Spurs have shaken off the biggest single-game collapse in NBA Finals history and are ready to do what needs to be done against the New York Knicks on Saturday.

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen is one of New Jersey's most famous native sons, and the Garden State is honoring The Boss with a new museum that celebrates his legacy and the history of American music.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Friday announced greater freedoms for small businesses across the country, as the communist government takes steps to liberalize the island's economy in the face of a crippling US blockade.

Scotland star Scott McTominay is ready for the team's opening World Cup game against Haiti on Saturday after overcoming a stomach bug, coach Steve Clarke has said.

Ghana player Thomas Partey, who is facing trial in Britain on rape charges, has been denied a visa to enter Canada to play in the World Cup, FIFA said on Friday.

Pope Leo XIV on Friday wrapped up a week-long visit to Spain that highlighted migrant issues, but his return to Rome was held up after his plane experienced a technical problem.

A US federal judge on Friday rejected a bid by the board of the Kennedy Center and the Justice Department to halt the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the performing arts venue.

"The moment is now," Canada coach Jesse Marsch declared on the evening before the country's first ever World Cup match on home soil.

The first-ever international agreement on safeguarding digital platform workers in the gig economy was adopted on Friday at the UN's International Labour Organization.

The Republic of Ireland's Nations League fixture with Israel on October 4 will be held behind closed doors at a neutral venue overseas, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) announced on Friday.

Fans put off by prices, some denied visas, and locals more fired up about basketball: the 2026 World Cup is kicking off without much enthusiasm in the United States.

A US appeals court on Friday upheld the conviction of disgraced cryptocurrency tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried as part of a sweeping fraud case.

Premier League referees will be able to book players for hair-pulling instead of sending them off after a change of emphasis in the rules for the 2026-27 season.

American Jackson Koivun, the world's top-ranked amateur golfer, said Friday he will turn professional after competing in next week's US Open.

Lando Norris edged fellow Briton George Russell by just 0.009s to top second practice on Friday for the Barcelona-Catalunya Formula One Grand Prix.

Danny van Dijk thinks that this time turning his street in The Hague completely orange is going to work, as the Netherlands again target a long-awaited first World Cup title.

Giotto's Santa Croce frescoes are receiving the final touches of a four-year restoration in Florence, with scaffolding poised to be removed ahead of an official reveal in September.

The shock resignations of two UK defence ministers has thrown British military resources into the spotlight, after they slammed upcoming spending plans for falling short and lacking innovation.

Jude Bellingham says every member of England's World Cup squad must feel "loved" as he admitted things were not right off the pitch at Euro 2024.

Shares in Elon Musk's SpaceX jumped 11 percent to $150 on their first day of trading Friday after the biggest initial public offering in history, making the polarizing entrepreneur the world's first trillionaire as he vowed to take humanity to Mars.

Wall Street pushed higher on Friday as SpaceX shares began trading following world's largest initial public offering, while oil prices slid on hopes of an agreement to end the Middle East war.

Iran's foreign minister insisted on Friday that a deal with the United States to end the war in the Middle East had never been closer, after US President Donald Trump furiously accused Tehran of negotiating in bad faith.

Wimbledon's 20 percent increase in prize money has been welcomed as a "significant step forward" by the sport's top players.

British artist David Hockney, one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art whose paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, has died aged 88, his publicist announced Friday.

Several hundred people gathered in southwestern France on Friday to bid farewell to an 11-year-old girl whose suspected murder sparked protests across the country and exposed failures in the country's judicial system.

Belgian Maxim Van Gils won the mountainous sixth stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes on Friday as his Australian teammate Luke Tuckwell finished third and took the leader's yellow and blue jersey.

Pele's 1958 World Cup winners' medal is expected to fetch £500,000 ($670,000) when it is auctioned in England later this month.