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

Kane Williamson struck a defiant century Wednesday but was unable to put New Zealand in control in the first Test against Bangladesh in Sylhet.

Europe's main stock markets mostly climbed Wednesday as traders ramped up bets on the US Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in the new year after a top official sounded an optimistic note on the battle against inflation.

Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders's stunning election win may have sent shockwaves through Europe's political elite, but in one of the country's poorest districts, his populist message is hitting home.

The world economy is likely headed for a soft landing next year, the OECD said Wednesday as it pared back its growth forecast, but warned the Israel-Hamas conflict could throw a spanner in the works.

The Emirati president of the UN climate conference in Dubai denied Wednesday reports that he sought to use his leadership of COP28 to pursue fossil fuel deals for his country.

Award-winning journalist Mariam Ouedraogo finds it impossible to forget the heartbreaking stories she has covered about sexual assault in Burkina Faso's jihadist war.

Austrian real estate giant Signa -- whose vast portfolio includes New York's iconic Chrysler building -- on Wednesday announced it would initiate insolvency proceedings, filing for court protection as it undergoes restructuring.

A US Osprey military aircraft crashed on Wednesday off a Japanese island, killing one crew member and leaving five unaccounted for, the coastguard said, in the latest incident involving the tilt-rotor military aircraft.

On the outskirts of the eastern German town of Wittenberg, a corrugated iron gate painted with green leaves welcomes visitors to the "Koenigreich Deutschland" (Kingdom of Germany).

Tea and cheese sandwiches are on the breakfast menu for Taghrid al-Najjar's children. It should be an everyday moment, but their home in the Gaza Strip is now mostly rubble.

Uber is to roll out its service to London black cabs next year, it announced Wednesday, despite long-running friction between drivers of the traditional taxis and the US-based firm.

Newly appointed skipper Shan Masood set Pakistan a tough target on Wednesday for their forthcoming tour of Australia -- make history.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday branded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "the butcher of Gaza" and accused him of spawning anti-Semitism across the world.

When delegations from Moscow and Kyiv met in Belarus for secretive peace talks weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine, it took Ukraine's lead negotiator less than an hour to lose hope.

Pope Francis presided over his weekly audience Wednesday despite the flu that caused him to scrap a trip to Dubai, but asked an aide to deliver his reading for him.

Emily Hand, the nine-year-old girl released after Hamas held her hostage for 50 days, will now only talk in whispers having been ordered to stay silent by her captors, her father told British tabloid The Sun in an interview published on Wednesday.

Shares in Dutch medical device manufacturer Philips plunged Wednesday after the US Food and Drug Administration warned that its new machine to help patients sleep risked overheating.

Kane Williamson struck a defiant unbeaten half-century to drag New Zealand to 168-4 at tea on the second day of the first Test against Bangladesh on Wednesday.

Rahul Dravid will stay on as coach of India, the country's cricket board said on Wednesday, having led the hosts to the final of the World Cup earlier this month.

Hamas is willing to extend a truce for four days and release more Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a source close to the militant group said Wednesday, as mediators sought a lasting halt to the conflict.

A US Osprey military aircraft with eight crew on board crashed on Wednesday off a Japanese island, the coastguard said, in the latest accident involving the tilt-rotor military aircraft.

The dollar extended losses Wednesday as traders ramped up bets on the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates in the new year after a top official sounded an optimistic note on the battle against inflation.

An elderly elephant has died in a Philippine zoo, an official said Wednesday, after a failed global campaign to relocate her to an animal sanctuary.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and Damian Lillard added 32 as the Milwaukee Bucks beat Miami 131-124 on Tuesday to reach the knockout rounds of the NBA In-Season Tournament.

For Iris van Herpen, whose radical couture dresses have attracted top musicians like Bjork, Beyonce and Lady Gaga, fashion is a way to "transform a human being".

After 17 days trapped inside a collapsed Himalayan road tunnel they were building, Indian workers described the horror of their ordeal, and the hopes and prayers that kept them strong.

In an ordinary house in a north London suburb in the late 1970s, children levitated, objects flew across rooms, heavy furniture moved on its own and a young girl was flung from her bed.

A rough -- and highly contested -- history of modern Serbia is written out in murals and slogans on the walls of its capital Belgrade.

Bangladesh spinners Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan struck twice to dent New Zealand's reply after the hosts fell to 310 all out on day two of the opening Test on Wednesday.

"All views are welcome. All views are needed," declared Sultan Al Jaber, president of the UN's COP28 and head of the Emirates state oil and gas company in the run-up to the climate talks in Dubai.

As Interpol marks its centenary, it faces the tricky task of nabbing criminals while ensuring that its famous red notices are not abused to snare dissidents.

Hong Kong's largest-ever national security trial began final arguments Wednesday, more than 1,000 days after authorities filed charges against 47 democracy activists under a law imposed by China to quell dissent.