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

Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid are close to achieving "the maximum" this season as they look to beat Liverpool in the Champions League final on Saturday and complete a European-Spanish double.

Novak Djokovic said Friday "it breaks my heart" to see former coach Boris Becker in prison over charges relating to a 2017 bankruptcy and hopes the German legend stays "healthy and strong".

In a tiny Texas town called Utopia, a sign at the entrance to its only school warns that staffers are packing guns -- a measure designed to prevent shootings like the one that left 19 kids and two teachers dead down the road in Uvalde.

Sweden hopes to strike a compromise with Turkey to seal its NATO membership bid, but fears are mounting in the Scandinavian country that the government may sacrifice too much to get what it wants.

Lawyers for "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard delivered closing arguments on Friday after a six-week trial featuring blistering mutual accusations of domestic abuse.

The National Rifle Association is the central and fiercest promoter of gun rights in America, and is again holding its annual convention days after a mass school shooting.

US golf star Nelly Korda said Friday she will return to competition at the US Women's Open, more than a month after she was sidelined by a blood clot in her left arm.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized two Greek oil tankers in the Gulf Friday, days after Athens confirmed it would deliver to Washington Iranian oil it had seized from a Russian tanker.

The new head of Italy's Catholic Church announced Friday a study into clerical child sex abuse over the last 20 years, but survivors said it fell short of an independent inquiry.

Charles Leclerc completed a convincing 'double top' at his home Monaco Grand Prix on Friday, finishing second practice fastest ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz.

England's new Test coach Brendon McCullum hopes his outsider status as a New Zealander will help rid the under-performing team of their "fear of failure" after a dismal 15 months.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp shrugged off the distraction of speculation over Sadio Mane's future as he prepared Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid on a fresh pitch at the Stade de France.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to attend a cathedral service early next month as part of celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilee year, their biographer said Friday.

As the world faces a growing food crisis provoked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many have looked to South America's "breadbasket" -- major wheat producers Brazil and Argentina, along with Uruguay and Paraguay -- as a possible solution.

Dutch rider Koen Bouwman won a sprint finish in the mountains for stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia at Santuario di Castelmonte on Friday as Richard Carapaz held the leader's pink jersey.

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal closed in Friday on a blockbuster clash at the French Open as both reached the last 16, while Carlos Alcaraz prepared to face the only man to beat him on clay this year.

In a small orthopaedic clinic in Kyiv, Daviti Suleimanishvili listens as doctors describe various prostheses that could replace his left leg, torn off during the battle for Mariupol.

Russian troops were moving in on the strategic city of Severodonetsk Friday in a relentless offensive to control Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, bombing residential areas and claiming the capture of a key town.

Rafael Nadal continued his pursuit of a 14th French Open title, cruising past Dutch 26th seed Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the last 16 on Friday.

Lawyers for actor Johnny Depp urged a jury on Friday to find his ex-wife Amber Heard guilty of defamation over domestic abuse allegations and restore "his name, his reputation and his career."

America's powerful National Rifle Association kicked off a major convention in Houston Friday, days after the horrific massacre of children at a Texas elementary school, but a string of high-profile no-shows underscored deep unease at the timing of the gun lobby event.

Dutch rider Koen Bouwman won the mountainous 19th stage of the Giro d'Italia with a sprint finish climb to Santuario di Castelmonte on Friday.

World number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic eased into the French Open fourth round for the 13th straight year on Friday.

It's the only award that mutt-ers in Cannes, and in a year when war was a constant backdrop to the festival, even the canine-loving Palm Dog award paid tribute to Ukrainians.

The United States spends twice as much on cancer care as the average high-income country, but gets only middle-of-the-table survival results, a study said Friday.

A Frenchwoman and a Spaniard were killed and nine other mountaineers were injured Friday in an ice fall in southwest Switzerland, police said following a rescue attempt involving several helicopters.

The US inflation wave showed signs of waning last month, posting the smallest increase since late 2020, as rising wages supported continued spending by American shoppers, according to government data released Friday.

The United States on Friday imposed fresh sanctions over North Korea's missile launches, including on two Russian banks, after Russia and China blocked action by the UN Security Council.

Aleix Espargaro was quickest in the opening practice sessions for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix on Friday, as MotoGP championship leader Fabio Quartararo struggled for pace.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on Friday hit out at criticism of Paris Saint-Germain and defended clubs who threaten football's traditional elite, pointedly telling AFP that "things change" in an interview ahead of this weekend's Champions League final.

A lawyer for actor Johnny Depp urged a jury on Friday to find his ex-wife Amber Heard guilty of defamation over domestic abuse allegations and give him his "life back."

Giro d'Italia leader Richard Carapaz suffered a setback to his title bid on Friday, with his key mountain lieutenant Richie Porte withdrawing during the 19th stage.