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

Scrum-half Michael Ruru provided two assists to guide Vannes back to the Top 14 thanks to an 18-14 victory over Provence in French rugby's second-tier final on Saturday.

Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles have overwhelmingly voted to authorize a potential strike during the World Cup, just days before football's global showpiece begins.

Picked out for stardom at 18, goalkeeper Brice Samba is finally fulfilling his "dream" and going to the World Cup at 32 after a career he describes as "a series of highs, lows, and then highs again".

World number 114 Maja Chwalinska says she hopes her run from qualifying all the way to the French Open final can be "inspiring" for other players outside the top 100.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Europe to counter what he termed an "invasion" of its coastline by migration, as he marked the 82nd anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in France.

Iran launched a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday after fresh American strikes, drawing a furious response from the Gulf monarchies and further straining a fragile truce.

A rejuvenated Lewis Hamilton swallowed his disappointment on Saturday after missing out on pole position for Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix by two-tenths of a second.

Ollie Robinson continued to prove a thorn in New Zealand's side, taking two quick wickets, as England moved closer to victory in the first Test during what little play was possible at Lord's on Saturday.

French cyclist Paul Seixas begins the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes on Sunday targeting a key test as deals with growing expectations ahead of his first Tour de France.

Kimi Antonelli produced a "magic lap" to edge Max Verstappen in the dying seconds of Saturday's qualifying and claim pole for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Police and anti-government protesters clashed Saturday in the Santa Cruz area of eastern Bolivia, as authorities attempted to clear a road blocked by rural workers demanding President Rodrigo Paz's resignation.

Bernadette Chirac, who has died aged 93, stood by her late husband, former French president Jacques Chirac, during 12 years as first lady, but also forged her own, more discreet, political career.

Aidan O'Brien became the first trainer to win four successive Epsom Derbies when Christmas Day eased to victory on Saturday.

Iran's World Cup squad left Turkey for Mexico on Saturday, taking off under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row between Tehran and Washington after the US refused to issue visas for some of the team's support squad.

World championship leading teenager Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable run of successes on Saturday by claiming pole position for Mercedes ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull for Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix.

Prosecutors on Saturday opened a probe into a 95-year-old billionaire and honorary head of Koc Holdings, Turkey's biggest conglomerate, over a joke about a Kurdish woman widely denounced as sexist and racist.

Mirra Andreeva has already come a long way from the heart of Siberia, but on Saturday she fulfilled her "dream", aged just 19, when she beat Maja Chwalinska in the French Open women's final.

Dutch rider Demi Vollering won the queen stage of the women's Giro d'Italia on Saturday, shorn of the final 28 kilometres due to a slab of ice threatening to crash onto the road.

Mirra Andreeva won her first Grand Slam title on Saturday by downing Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska in straight sets in the French Open final.

Ollie Robinson continued to prove a thorn in New Zealand's side, taking two wickets in quick succession, as England moved closer to victory in the first Test during what little play was possible at Lord's on Saturday.

Marc Marquez delivered a dominant performance to win the sprint race at the Hungarian MotoGP on Saturday, converting his pole position into a commanding victory at the Balaton Park circuit.

Meg Lay has swapped harvesting peas in New Zealand for tending the hallowed turf at Lord's as one of the few women in the groundskeeping industry.

Marc Marquez delivered a dominant performance to win the sprint race at the Hungarian MotoGP on Saturday, converting his pole position into a commanding victory at the Balaton Park circuit.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Europe to counter what he termed an "invasion" of its coastline by migration, as he marked the 82nd anniversary of the World War II D-Day landings in northern France.

Several hundred people gathered Saturday in a protected nature reserve on the Albanian coast to protest at plans for a luxury beach resort by a company linked to the Trump family.

Flavio Cobolli has ploughed his furrow in the shadow of his illustrious compatriot Jannik Sinner over the last few years but come Sunday's final at the French Open, all eyes will be on the Italian number three.

Leo XIV tossed away the diplomatic tact usually required of popes as he began a state visit to Spain on Saturday, revealing that his footballing loyalties lie with Real Madrid.

An Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed three soldiers, Beirut's military said Saturday, days after the countries agreed a conditional truce during talks in the United States.

Iran launched a salvo of missiles at US allies Bahrain and Kuwait on Saturday, after renewed American strikes, drawing a furious response from the Gulf monarchies and further undermining a fragile truce.

Championship leading teenager Kimi Antonelli bounced back to top the times for Mercedes ahead of both Ferraris in Saturday's final free practice ahead of qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix.

Centuries by skipper Shubman Gill and KL Rahul led India to a commanding 368-3 on the first day of the one-off cricket Test against Afghanistan on Saturday.

Pope Leo XIV on Saturday called for an end to "polarising narratives" and "sterile simplifications" on a visit to Spain expected to focus on the divisive issue of immigration.