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

Spain said Monday that the mobile phones of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Defence Minister Margarita Robles were tapped using Pegasus spyware in an "illicit and external" intervention.

Ronnie O'Sullivan saw his quest for a historic seventh world snooker title halted by a Judd Trump fightback on Monday.

Russia's Bolshoi Theatre has announced it is cancelling the performances directed by Kirill Serebrennikov and Timofey Kulyabin who have spoken out against Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for dialogue to end the war in Ukraine at the start of a European tour on Monday but steered clear of condemning Russia over the invasion.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has warned his side must be "ready to suffer" against Villarreal if they are to reach the Champions League final.

European Union ministers met Monday to respond to Russia cutting gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria -- and discuss plans for a possible oil embargo to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine.

Veteran British sprinter Mark Cavendish will race the Giro d'Italia which starts on Friday, his Quick-Step cycling team have announced.

Stock markets diverged and oil prices fell on Monday as traders tracked weak Chinese economic data and a looming US interest rate hike that could tame inflation but also thwart growth.

Ukrainian authorities were hoping Monday to evacuate more civilians from the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, as Russia's offensive in the east of Ukraine continued with "active and heavy" fighting.

Unai Emery insisted on Monday Villarreal are not playing for pride but believe they can beat Liverpool and still reach the Champions League final, despite their 2-0 defeat in the first leg last week.

Spirt Airlines reiterated Monday its support for a merger with Frontier Airlines, saying it concluded a competing offer from JetBlue Airways involved excessive regulatory risk.

One person was pulled out alive Monday from the rubble of a building that collapsed three days ago in central China, state-run television said, with hopes of finding more survivors fading fast.

Finnish-led consortium Fennovoima said on Monday it has terminated a contract with Russian group Rosatom to build Finland's third nuclear power plant, citing risks linked to the Ukraine war.

Grammy-winning US musicians The Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in a tear-filled ceremony just one day after the duo's matriarch Naomi Judd died Saturday at age 76.

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have been criticised for last weekend's two-day "team-building" trip to Ibiza immediately after Saturday's shock defeat at Mainz.

Yellow and green autorickshaws are ubiquitous on New Delhi's roads but Mahendra Kumar's vehicle stands out -- it has a garden on its roof aimed at keeping passengers cool during the searing summer season.

British distance great Mo Farah was noncommittal about his athletics future after being beaten by a club runner on his return to action at the London 10,000 (metres) on Monday.

The EU accused Apple on Monday of blocking rivals from its popular "tap-as-you-go" iPhone payment system, opening a fresh battlefront between the US tech giant and Brussels.

Russia may rule the Black Sea but any amphibious assault on the Ukrainian coast seems risky while Kyiv's missiles threaten to destroy Russian ships if they get too close, experts say.

Stock markets and oil prices fell in holiday-thinned trade Monday as traders digested weak Chinese economic data and a looming US interest rate hike.

James Doyle, emboldened by becoming the first jockey since 2015 to achieve the Guineas double, wants to go one better than legends Lester Piggott and Steve Cauthen in sweeping all five English classics in a season.

A strike by owners of fuel tankers over the weekend renewed Sri Lanka's long queues for diesel and petrol on Monday as pumps ran dry, compounding the island nation's economic and energy crisis.

Nearly two months after it was seized by Russian forces, there are few signs of the fighting for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine that sparked global fears of a potential atomic disaster.

Qantas has revealed plans for the world's longest-duration commercial flight by the end of 2025, ferrying passengers between Sydney and London on Airbus A350s in just over 19 hours.

"Go pee on the rhubarb!"

Hopes of finding more survivors from the rubble of a collapsed commercial building in central China faded Monday, at the end of a 72-hour "golden" rescue period identified by authorities.

Asian and European markets fell in holiday-thinned trade Monday following another tech-led rout on Wall Street, with focus on the Federal Reserve's expected interest rate hike this week.

Ukrainian armour-maker Vadim Mirnichenko used to specialise in swords and breastplates for medieval jousting competitions -- but after Russia invaded his homeland, he turned his passion for historical weaponry to the modern day.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed to Europe on Monday with New Delhi's refusal to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine set to be a key talking point in meetings with regional leaders.

US First Lady Jill Biden will visit Romania and Slovakia this week to meet with displaced Ukrainian parents and children, aid workers, US service members and embassy personnel, her office said Monday.

In the middle of the night, Shanghai resident Lucy said she and her neighbours were forced into buses and taken hundreds of kilometres away from the locked-down Chinese metropolis to a makeshift quarantine centre.

Three people were wounded by gunfire and two arrested in clashes at May Day demonstrations in Chile, police said.