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

Asian markets fell and oil prices extended gains Friday on worries that an expected ground invasion of Gaza by Israel will spark a wider conflict in the Middle East.

Britain's ruling Conservative Party suffered two damaging by-election defeats to Labour on Friday, boding ill for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his party's chances at the next general election.

Ever since Manu Tuilagi made his England debut in 2011, the fleet-footed stocky centre has been considered a key part of their success.

World number one Novak Djokovic will open his 2024 season at the mixed teams United Cup in Australia, but injury-plagued Rafael Nadal was not on the Spain team announced Friday.

Australians on Friday celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House, lighting up the sails of a harbourside "masterpiece" that has become an international icon.

Argentines will vote for a new president on Sunday, gripped by anxiety and with one thing in mind: escaping an economic quagmire that has seen annual inflation hit almost 140 percent.

Splashed across the middle of Brazil, the "Cerrado" may be the most important place most people have never heard of, a vast tropical savanna experts say is crucial to the planet's health but quickly disappearing.

Former University of Alabama teammates Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, now superstar quarterbacks, face each other in the NFL for the first time Sunday in a possible Super Bowl preview.

People thought she was crazy when Carminha Maria Missio and her family bought what was considered "sterile" land in the Brazilian savanna to farm soybeans, she says.

Twitter won fame in the Arab uprisings nearly a decade ago as a pivotal source for real-time crisis information, but that reputation has withered after the platform's transformation into a magnet for hate speech and disinformation under Elon Musk.

President Joe Biden made an impassioned call for the United States to show global leadership by backing Israel and Ukraine, saying in a speech from the Oval Office Thursday that defeating Hamas and Russia was a vital US interest.

For most rugby players the glory of getting your hands on the Webb Ellis cup would be motivation enough to lay your body on the line in a World Cup semi-final.

Sergio Ramos has not played against Real Madrid since 2005 but on Saturday, his Sevilla team welcome the Spanish league leaders to the Sanchez-Pizjuan for a reunion.

AC Milan will defend their two-point Serie A lead on Sunday night when they face Juventus, a huge match which threatens to be overshadowed by a gambling scandal rocking Italian football.

South Africa are two wins away from becoming the first team to win the Rugby World Cup four times with England their first opponents in Saturday's semi-final.

Second-placed Nice welcome rivals Marseille to the Allianz Riviera on Saturday amid conflicting form for the two teams, though only four places separate them in the table.

Jorge Martin topped the timesheets in Friday's opening free practice for the Australian MotoGP, with championship leader Francesco Bagnaia lagging in 11th.

Manchester City are aiming to avoid a third straight Premier League defeat for the first time in seven years when they host Brighton on Saturday, while Arsenal will provide a stiff test for resurgent Chelsea.

United States national team midfielder Tyler Adams will be sidelined for five months with a hamstring injury, The Athletic reported on Thursday.

Ketel Marte smacked a bases-loaded single in the ninth inning to drive in the winning run as the Arizona Diamondbacks beat Philadelphia 2-1 on Thursday in the Major League Baseball playoffs.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said Hamas and Russia are both out to "annihilate" democracies, in an impassioned speech to the nation from the Oval Office where he made the case for assistance to Ukraine and Israel as a vital US interest.

For Frankie Dettori, come Saturday evening the flying dismounts and unabashed displays of emotions in victory or defeat will be a thing of the past as the great showman retires from European racing, leaving a huge vacuum.

Canada said Thursday it had withdrawn 41 diplomats from India -- fallout from a bitter row over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.

President Joe Biden on Thursday said Hamas and Russia are both out to "annihilate" democracies in an impassioned speech to the nation from the Oval Office, where he made the case for US assistance to Ukraine and Israel.

Stand-in Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said his batsmen must take "responsibility" after a collapse in a seven-wicket defeat by India left them struggling to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals.

Argentina's tough-talking former security minister Patricia Bullrich wrapped up her presidential campaign Thursday, vowing to tackle crime, corruption and record inflation, while taking aim at her main rivals.

US President Joe Biden will deliver a rare Oval Office speech Thursday urging Americans to back billions of dollars in military aid for Israel and Ukraine at what he calls a perilous moment for global democracy.

The US intelligence community has estimated there were likely 100 to 300 people killed in the strike at the Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza, according to excerpts of a document seen Thursday by AFP -- far fewer than the nearly 500 deaths that health authorities in the Hamas-ruled enclave originally described.

James Harden missed Philadelphia 76ers practice for a second consecutive day on Thursday for what the NBA club called personal reasons, leaving his status in doubt for next week's season opener.

Lebanon's army blamed Israel Friday for killing a member of a "journalist team" covering cross-border tensions in the country's south, as war rages further south between Israel and Gaza-based militants.

Hurricane Norma weakened Thursday to a Category 3 storm as it headed for Mexico's Pacific coast -- still strong enough to cause flash floods and damage, forecasters said.

Terry Stotts, who was the head coach at Portland for the first nine years of Damian Lillard's career, resigned Thursday as an assistant coach of Lillard's new NBA team, the Milwaukee Bucks.