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

Thousands of fans have gathered in the California desert for the hotly anticipated Coachella Festival, which kicks off Friday with pop princess Sabrina Carpenter in the headliner spotlight.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as president on Friday, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup.

Exiled Iranian cartoonist Mana Neyestani has a huge following back home for his biting humour.

As Iranian and US envoys prepare to hold talks in Islamabad to end the Middle East war, official sources and experts say Beijing helped pave the way for the negotiations and will be a crucial component in securing a permanent truce.

Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson kept the New York Knicks in the hunt for second place in the NBA's Eastern Conference as they beat the Boston Celtics 112-106 Thursday.

In a handwritten note on a sketch of an evening dress for her official visit to India and Pakistan in 1961, Queen Elizabeth II specified it should be sewn in "yellow satin", a colour symbolising health and prosperity in the region.

Former AC Milan and Japan star Keisuke Honda said he wanted to set a new record after signing for a Singapore club on Friday to resume his colourful playing career aged 39.

Stocks rose Friday with investors still optimistic about the shaky ceasefire in the US-Iran war ahead of planned weekend talks, though oil prices extended gains over worries Israel's continued attacks on Lebanon could shatter the peace process.

Shortly after news of a US-Iran ceasefire, an Iranian group released a new Lego-style video lampooning President Donald Trump and declaring "Iran won," the latest in a wave of war-themed AI-generated propaganda flooding the internet.

In a community centre in eastern China, Shu Fangqiang shrugged off his jacket and stepped onto a scale, one of hundreds of locals signing up for an unusual weight loss programme -- "Trade Fat for Beef".

The Artemis II astronauts conducted a historic lunar flyby, gathered invaluable data and took in unprecedented Moon views, but one of the most crucial moments of their 10-day mission is still to come: Friday's splashdown.

The release of a new Michael Jackson biopic -- 16 years after his death -- highlights a robust franchise seemingly immune to the child sex abuse claims that still haunt the "King of Pop."

Residents of a New Jersey city mobilized within days to kill a planned data center -- and now activists nationwide want to know how they did it.

The mustachioed brothers of "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" and Ryan Gosling's unassuming teacher-turned-astronaut in "Project Hail Mary" are civilization-saving heroes in their own worlds. But cinema owners here on Earth also feel pretty grateful to them.

Augusta National's firm, fast greens played havoc with some of the world's top golfers in Thursday's first round of the 90th Masters.

Rory McIlroy reeled off three consecutive back-nine birdies to fire a five-under par 67 and seize a share of the lead in Thursday's opening round of the 90th Masters with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler three adrift.

Venezuela on Thursday threw open the country's vast mineral reserves to private investment, less than three months after rolling back state control over the oil sector, in line with US demands.

Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows was hospitalized for observation on Thursday after a scary collision with left fielder Riley Greene in a 3-1 Major League Baseball loss to the Minnesota Twins.

Israel and Lebanon will hold talks in Washington next week, a State Department official said Thursday, amid mounting international concerns that Israel's bombings could shatter an already fragile US-Iran ceasefire.

Rory McIlroy only found five of 14 fairways in Thursday's first round of the Masters but still managed to grab a share of the lead with his best Augusta start since 2011.

Ukraine and Russia will cease fire for the Orthodox Easter holidays, the warring countries' leaders said on Thursday, announcing a rare 32-hour halt in fighting.

Jean-Philippe Mateta inspired Crystal Palace to a 3-0 win over Fiorentina in their Conference League quarter-final, first leg on Thursday.

Groundbreaking US hip-hop artist and DJ Afrika Bambaataa, known for his 1982 hit "Planet Rock," has died at age 68, his former record label said Thursday.

Russia banned the Nobel Prize-winning human rights group Memorial and raided the offices of the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta Thursday, in fresh blows to already diminished civil liberties in the country.

The Pentagon on Thursday denied a report that the Vatican's US envoy was summoned in January for a "bitter" dressing down over remarks by Pope Leo that were seen as criticizing the Trump administration’s use of military force.

Ollie Watkins scored twice as Aston Villa beat Bologna 3-1 in their Europa League quarter-final, first leg on Thursday, while Nottingham Forest held Porto 1-1 thanks to a comical own goal from Martim Fernandes.

Aston Villa have one foot in the Europa League semi-finals after a hard-fought 3-1 win at Bologna on Thursday.

Venezuelan police fired tear gas on Thursday to disperse around 2,000 protesters who marched towards the presidential palace to demand salary and pension increases, AFP reporters saw.

The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Thursday rejected accusations of corruption by the Senegalese government after the body's shock decision to strip Senegal of its AFCON title and award it to Morocco.

Israel and Lebanon will hold talks next week in Washington, a State Department official said Thursday, as concerns grow that fighting involving Hezbollah could cause the fragile US-Iran truce to unravel.

Wall Street stocks finished higher Thursday after a shaky start, adopting an optimistic view of the Middle East ceasefire despite largely stalled traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which boosted oil prices.

The International Monetary Fund's chief urged governments on Thursday to "do no harm" as they face the massive economic shocks caused by the Middle East war, calling for "targeted" and disciplined fiscal actions.