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

The EU's top diplomat and Poland's prime minister said Wednesday that the bloc must heed US President Donald Trump's demand to spend much more on defence -- faced with the "existential threat" posed by Russia.

US President Donald Trump ordered federal employees of diversity offices to be put on paid leave by Wednesday night, and called a Washington bishop "nasty" after she asked him to "have mercy" for migrants and LGBTQ children.

Australian Open semi-finalist Ben Shelton said Wednesday he was "shocked" by on-court TV interviews at Melbourne Park, slamming them as "disrespectful".

Defending champion Jannik Sinner raced into the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday in imperious fashion after Iga Swiatek was equally ruthless to close on a first Melbourne crown.

Former Syrian detainee Mohammed Najib has suffered for years from torture-induced back pain. Yet he dreaded being taken by his jailers to a military hospital, where he received beatings instead of treatment.

Prince Harry settled on Wednesday a hotly-disputed lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's UK tabloid publisher, which apologised for hacking the British royal's phone and agreed to pay him "substantial damages".

Defending champion Jannik Sinner shattered home hopes Wednesday by crushing Alex de Minaur in a straight-sets rout to tee up an Australian Open semi-final against Ben Shelton.

European stock markets rallied and Chinese indices slid Wednesday in reaction to US President Donald Trump's policy plans that are starting to impact the global economy.

Sudan's army-aligned government has issued new banknotes in areas it controls, reportedly aimed at undermining its paramilitary rivals but causing long queues at banks, disrupting trade and entrenching division.

There will always be border disputes in Asia, and China should not be singled out because of tensions in the South China Sea, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday.

The EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said Wednesday that the bloc must heed US President Donald Trump's demand to spend more on defence, as she issued a stark warning over the threat from Russia.

Turkey was preparing to bury its dead Wednesday a day after a huge fire killed 76 people at a ski resort hotel, as questions grew over safety measures at the luxury establishment.

Masayoshi Son, the Japanese tycoon helming US President Donald Trump's big new AI push, is the son of an immigrant pig farmer with a spectacular but also sketchy investment record.

Borussia Dortmund have fired head coach Nuri Sahin in the wake of Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League loss at Bologna, saying they had "lost faith" in him.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that US federal employees working in diversity offices must be put on paid leave by Wednesday evening as the new administration of Donald Trump has ordered the programs shut.

All-action Ben Shelton battled past stubborn Italian Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) on Wednesday to reach his first Australian Open semi-final.

Borussia Dortmund have fired struggling head coach Nuri Sahin after Tuesday's 2-1 Champions League loss at Bologna, saying on Wednesday they had "lost faith" in the young manager.

Most Asian markets extended a global rally Wednesday as investors gave a cautious welcome to Donald Trump's first full day in office amid hopes he will take a more cautious approach on trade than initially feared.

The top lawyer of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in a Russian prison in February last year, told AFP she regretted not finding the right words to stop him returning to Moscow in 2021.

Lazar was overcome by a "deep sense of fear": his wife had just found out that he had racked up thousands of euros worth of debt after his attempts to control his gambling addiction had failed.

Japan's unbeaten Naoya Inoue said Wednesday he wants to lay down a marker in his world title bout against South Korean rank-outsider Kim Ye-joon before taking his prodigious talents to Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia later this year.

El Salvador's ex-president Mauricio Funes died Tuesday at the age of 65 in Nicaragua, where he fled two years after leaving office and gained asylum following accusations of corruption in his country.

Emma Navarro called for a change in the rules Wednesday after being unable to challenge a double bounce against her as Iga Swiatek moved into the Australian Open semi-finals.

Most Asian markets extended a global rally Wednesday as investors gave a cautious welcome to Donald Trump's first full day in office amid hopes he will take a more cautious approach on trade than initially feared.

Lesotho's King Letsie III has embarked on an ambitious mission in snowy Davos, where global powerbrokers have converged, to make a royal pitch: invest in his small African nation's green transition.

Captain Jos Buttler says England's match against Afghanistan at the Champions Trophy should go ahead after calls for a boycott over the Taliban regime's assault on women's rights.

A ruthless Iga Swiatek said Wednesday her confidence was soaring and she was starting to believe she can go all the way at the Australian Open after years of early exits.

Hundreds of rescuers were searching through thick mud and debris to find survivors Wednesday after a rain-triggered landslide in Indonesia killed at least 19 people and left seven missing.

Nikola Jokic delivered his fourth straight triple-double on Tuesday, a league-leading 19th of the season, to propel the Denver Nuggets to a 144-109 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 2025 World Rally Championship gets its wheels spinning with freshly-crowned champion Thierry Neuville beginning the defence of his title at the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally which begins on Thursday. AFP Sport picks out five things about Monte Carlo and the coming season.

Teruko Nakazawa once intervened in a knife fight between an ex-offender and their mother -- all in a day's unpaid work for Japan's army of volunteer probation officers.

Hundreds of rescuers were searching through thick mud and debris to find survivors Wednesday after a rain-triggered landslide in Indonesia killed at least 17 people and left nine missing.