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

Aid agencies are struggling to reach people trapped in Ukrainian cities ringed by Russian forces, the UN's World Food Programme said Saturday, including hundreds of thousands of women and children.

Russia on Saturday admitted using advanced hypersonic missiles for the first time in the Ukraine conflict as Kyiv's embattled leader Volodymyr Zelensky called for urgent peace talks.

It is not clear what makes Valentyna Katkova cry more: illness and old age, or the fact that she now lives in a Kyiv subway car, fleeing Russian bombing.

A classy 97 by Meg Lanning confirmed unbeaten Australia's place in the Women's World Cup semi-finals as a record run chase saw them to victory over India on Saturday.

When Al Sadd wrapped up a second straight Qatar title by stretching their unbeaten league run to 49 games, they were inevitably dubbed the 'Invincibles' after another team that reached the same number.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was due in India on Saturday with officials in Tokyo predicting "candid discussions" about New Delhi's unwillingness to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo will start Sunday's first race in Indonesia in 25 years from pole position after a dramatic qualifying session that saw Marc Marquez twice crashed out.

With its imposing, angular proportions made out of clay, laterite and other local building materials, the Opera Village cultural and educational project, designed by Burkina Faso-born architect Francis Kere, blends into the landscape.

A groundbreaking Netflix series set among Turkey's Jews has been an unexpected hit there, challenging taboos and enthralling audiences with its glimpse into a long-overlooked community.

Finding a lost manuscript by Sigmund Freud has caused a French historian to revisit a key moment in European diplomacy 100 years ago that reverberates today as war returns to the continent.

World famous ballet dancers from Russia and Ukraine, Argentina, Cuba, France and Japan come together on Saturday for a gala to raise funds for Ukraine and send a message of peace.

Test cricket returns to Lahore on Monday for the first time since a terror attack on a visiting team in 2009, with winner takes all for the Pakistan-Australia series finale.

Maria Sakkari ended Paula Badosa's bid for a repeat title at Indian Wells on Friday, beating the defending champion to set up a final clash with former French Open winner Iga Swiatek.

East Timor's citizens were at the polls on Saturday to elect a new president, hoping the most competitive election in the history of Southeast Asia's youngest country will end a protracted political impasse.

China reported two Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, its first in more than a year, underlining the threat posed by an Omicron outbreak that has triggered the country's highest case counts since the pandemic's outset.

Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky made a fresh appeal for talks with Moscow Saturday, while Russia said its soldiers had entered the centre of besieged port city Mariupol.

The Telegram messaging app has become a go-to platform since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite concerns over its data security and defenses against misinformation.

Six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez topped a damp third practice on Saturday for the Indonesian Grand Prix as title-holder Fabio Quartararo suffered more technical problems.

China reported its first two Covid-19 deaths in more than a year on Saturday, the National Health Commission said, both coming in the northeastern province of Jilin as the country faces its worst case upsurge since the pandemic's outset.

Myanmar will resume international passenger flights from April 17, the military said Saturday, lifting a two-year ban on foreign tourists.

As many Shanghai residents shelter from Covid at home, a common sight on the megacity's suddenly subdued streets is the racing, swerving scooters of food-delivery riders.

Former French Open champion Iga Swiatek beat two-time Grand Slam winner Simona Halep 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 on Friday to reach the Indian Wells WTA final.

Chat platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram have avoided being blocked by Russia -- unlike some of the world's biggest social networks -- in a tenuous tolerance that experts warn could end suddenly.

Joel Embiid delivered a fourth consecutive 30-point performance as the Philadelphia 76ers powered to a 111-101 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

Cryptocurrencies have taken on an unprecedented role in the war in Ukraine, helping the government raise millions of dollars to fund its fight against the Russian invasion.

The United Nations and aid groups have warned of grave consequences for Yemen after an international pledging conference failed to raise enough money to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the war-torn country.

The clock ran out Friday at UN talks to forge a legally binding treaty to protect open oceans beyond national jurisdictions, with no schedule set for prolonging the discussions.

The Vatican has long played global mediator but has struggled to make its mark in the Ukraine conflict, walking a tightrope between its desire for peace and ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.

Music, dancing, alcohol and tiny swimsuits -- spring vacation in the United States, popularly known as "spring break," brings thousands of young people to south Florida every year for a few days of uncontrolled fun, much to the chagrin of residents in cities like Miami Beach.

Joe Biden has promised to help Ukraine get air defense systems with a longer range than the shoulder-borne Stinger missiles already on the ground, but finding the powerful anti-missile batteries Ukraine's military so urgently needs is proving easier said than done.

Detained for more than a month in Russia, US basketball star Brittney Griner has become an unlikely victim of the war in Ukraine -- and the best way to free her remains a crucial question.

Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry will have his sprained left foot injury reevaluated in two weeks, the NBA club announced Friday.