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

England's Jonny Bairstow says playing twenty20 cricket in the Indian Premier League has given him the tools he needed to launch his astonishing demolition of New Zealand in the second Test.

A Pakistani minister has caused a storm in a teacup by urging citizens to cut back on drinking "chai" as a way to preserve foreign currency that pays to import the leaves used in brewing the popular beverage.

Daniil Medvedev said on Wednesday it was "great news" that Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete at this year's US Open, where he will be defending the title.

Scrapped metal and concrete debris is all that remains of the Azovstal steel factory in Mariupol, a symbol of Ukraine's weeks-long resistance against the Russian army in the devastated port city.

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a call Wednesday that Beijing would keep backing Moscow on "sovereignty and security", according to state media.

La Liga confirmed on Wednesday it has filed complaints to UEFA about Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City "continuously breaching the current regulations of financial fair play".

Want to play "Squid Game" for real? Netflix is looking for recruits to compete for millions of dollars -- and even promises not to have you violently murdered if you lose.

Swedish furniture giant Ikea said Wednesday it would "scale down" its activities in Russia and Belarus, after putting them on hold following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

When Nigeria's opposition named veteran operator Atiku Abubakar as its 2023 election candidate, ruling APC party chief Bola Tinubu quickly welcomed a chance to compete against a "worthy" opponent.

Spain's second heatwave in less than a month dragged on Wednesday for a fifth day, with temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country as the mass of hot air pushed into France.

Ukraine pleaded with Western governments Wednesday to decide quickly on sending heavy weapons to shore up its faltering defences, as Russia said it would evacuate civilians from a frontline chemical plant.

Saudi officials are seizing rainbow-coloured toys and articles of clothing from shops in the capital as part of a crackdown on homosexuality, state media reported.

The Swiss prosecutor's office on Wednesday demanded an 18-month suspended jail sentence for Michel Platini and ex-president of FIFA Sepp Blatter, accusing them of fraud.

Several thousand people rallied Wednesday in the eastern DR Congo city of Goma to protest against Rwanda, a day after the government reiterated claims Kigali backed a notorious rebel group.

The World Trade Organization's ministerial conference will run over into a fifth day Thursday in the hope of striking thus-far elusive deals on fishing subsidies, food security and combating Covid-19.

A European court ruling sparked an embarrassing climbdown for the British government by forcing the cancellation of Britain's first deportation flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Thailand took a step towards marriage equality Wednesday as lawmakers gave initial approval to legalising same-sex unions, prompting celebrations outside the parliament building.

English bulldogs are twice as likely to get common health problems than other dogs, new research published Wednesday found, as vets urged people to look beyond the cuteness of flat-faced breeds to see that they are "suffering".

Europe's equities rebounded Wednesday as the European Central Bank began an emergency meet to discuss volatile eurozone bond markets and soaring inflation, while investors also braced for a major US rate hike.

The European Commission launched new legal action against Britain on Wednesday, accusing London of putting peace in Northern Ireland at risk by trying to overhaul the post-Brexit trade deal.

Tanzania will introduce a digital tax this year, the country's finance minister said, in a move targeting global internet giants offering services in the East African nation.

Furious Conservatives called on Britain's government Wednesday to abandon a European human rights pact after a judge dramatically blocked its plan to fly asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

French troops in Mali have captured a senior member of the Sahel affiliate of the Islamic State group, the French military said Wednesday.

Popstars, diplomats, activists: South Korean megastars BTS are like modern day Renaissance men, dominating the charts even as they represent their country and campaign for causes close to their heart, analysts say.

Gareth Southgate was a national hero less than a year ago as he led England to a first major tournament final for 55 years but is now in the firing line after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Hungary.

For more than three months Oleksandra Osadcha, who fled Ukraine with her two children at dawn on February 24, drove from one country to another trying to find a place that "feels like home".

Why would K-pop titans BTS decide to step back from their supergroup and focus on solo careers while at the pinnacle of their success? South Korea's mandatory military service, analysts say.

Authorities in central China allegedly used the country's powerful Covid tracking system to stop an anticipated protest, state media reported, sparking furious condemnation online on Wednesday.

European Central Bank policymakers called an emergency meeting on Wednesday, as more indebted eurozone states have come under pressure from rising borrowing costs.

Wooden canoes slice soundlessly through the flooded jungles of Javari Valley in Brazil's Amazon region, steered by a team of Indigenous people scouring for clues to the whereabouts of British journalist Dom Phillips and his colleague Bruno Pereira.

Swiss airspace reopened Wednesday morning after a computer glitch grounded flights across the Alpine nation for several hours, officials said.

Equities were mixed Wednesday with investors nervously awaiting a Federal Reserve interest rate decision that has taken on greater significance since a forecast-busting inflation report sent shockwaves through world markets.