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

"A new dawn for Venezuela" is how a top US diplomat described the future awaiting the Caribbean country after Saturday's capture of president Nicolas Maduro by US special forces in a raid on Caracas.

Aryna Sabalenka said her much-maligned exhibition match against Nick Kyrgios had paid dividends as she demolished Cristina Bucsa on Tuesday to launch her Australian Open preparations.

Venus Williams was beaten in three sets by Magda Linette on Tuesday at the Auckland Classic as the American great gears up to make history at the Australian Open aged 45.

Run-machine Travis Head hit a swashbuckling 163 and Steve Smith an unbeaten 65 as Australia moved to within seven runs of England's first innings 384 at tea on day three of the fifth and final Ashes Test on Tuesday.

In the dense hill forests along Bangladesh's border with war-torn Myanmar, villagers are losing limbs to landmines, casualties of a conflict not of their making.

Nick Kyrgios urged Novak Djokovic to stay in tennis "as long as possible" after the Serbian great Tuesday pulled out of his only lead-up tournament to the Australian Open, saying he was "not quite physically ready".

Players at this month's Australian Open will be competing for a record prize pool with organisers on Tuesday announcing a 16 percent increase in the total purse to Aus$111.5 million (US$75 million).

Most Asian markets rose Tuesday, tracking the year's first record on Wall Street as investors racked up AI-linked tech bets, while oil prices steadied after whipsawing following the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Swollen rivers have cut off towns and swept away thousands of livestock in outback Australia, authorities said as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flew into the disaster zone on Tuesday.

Fearful that memories of the deceased could fade away, Natalia Kornilova and her family have made it their mission to bring Russia's old cemeteries back to life, one gravestone at a time.

Run-machine Travis Head slammed his third century of the Ashes series Tuesday to be 162 not out at lunch on day three as Australia rapidly ran down England's first innings 384 in the fifth and final Test at Sydney.

Swiss food giant Nestle announced on Monday a recall of batches of infant formula in several European countries, notably France, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy and Sweden, as a precautionary measure.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung snapped a selfie with Xi Jinping using a smartphone gifted to him by the Chinese leader, who had joked at their last meeting that the device might be capable of spying.

Uber on Monday unveiled a custom robotaxi it is adding to its global ride-share platform, starting on the San Francisco home turf it shares with rival Waymo, owned by Google.

The Central African Republic has re-elected President Faustin-Archange Touadera, according to provisional results released by the electoral authority on Tuesday.

A century after Scottish inventor John Logie Baird demonstrated the first mechanical television system, TVs face mounting competition from a much more recent invention: smartphones.

Real change has not come to Venezuela despite Nicolas Maduro's ouster as president and the armed forces remain loyal to the regime: that was the blunt assessment Monday of former security operatives living in exile.

Liberal politician Chrystia Freeland, Canada's former minister of finance and foreign affairs, said Monday she will leave Parliament in Ottawa to work as an economic advisor to Ukraine.

Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are the latest high-profile inmates held in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, the largest federal pre-trial holding facility in the United States.

Cubans weary from years of economic crisis, shortages of basic supplies and regular power blackouts, fear the US attack on Venezuela, a leftist ideological ally and its main oil supplier, will see life get even tougher.

General Motors reported a dip in fourth-quarter US auto sales Monday, reflecting a sharp decline in electric vehicle transactions amid a broader slowing car market.

Serbian great Novak Djokovic Tuesday pulled out of the Adelaide International, saying he was "not quite physically ready" as prepares for the Australian Open.

Elon Musk's AI tool Grok faced growing international backlash Monday for generating sexualized deepfakes of women and minors, with the European Union joining the condemnation and Britain warning of an investigation.

Oil prices finished higher Monday on a heady day for global equities after the US capture of Venezuela's president sparked speculation on the implications for future crude supplies.

Mohamed Salah sealed an extra-time win for Egypt against Benin on Monday to take the Pharaohs through to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, before Victor Osimhen netted twice as Nigeria cruised to an emphatic victory in their last-16 clash with Mozambique.

Manchester City have confirmed defender Josko Gvardiol suffered a broken leg in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Nigeria made short work of Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday, cruising into the quarter-finals with a comprehensive 4-0 victory in their last-16 tie.

Wilman Gonzalez picked through the wreckage of his home as he described how a bombing killed his 78-year-old aunt Rosa during the US raids that toppled Venezuela's president.

Martin O'Neill has returned to lead Celtic until the end of the season on Monday after the Scottish champions sacked Wilfried Nancy following six defeats in just eight games under the French manager.

President Donald Trump says the United States is "in charge" of Venezuela. But for now, that seems to mean keeping the country's government set up much like it was before.

Liam Rosenior will hold a press conference at his French club Strasbourg on Tuesday, the Ligue 1 side announced, despite being in negotiations to become Chelsea's next manager.

The Trump administration on Monday overhauled the US pediatric vaccine schedule, upending years of scientifically backed recommendations that reduced disease with routine shots.

The Israeli military launched strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, Lebanese state media reported, after warning it would hit what it called Hezbollah and Hamas targets in four villages.

Nicolas Maduro walked into a packed New York courtroom Monday with his shoulders back, scanning the public gallery and offering a few Spanish greetings, before declaring: "I am innocent."

Celtic have appointed Martin O'Neill as their manager until the end of the season on Monday after the Scottish champions sacked Wilfried Nancy earlier in the day.

Venezuela's parliament swore in Delcy Rodriguez as interim president on Monday, two days after US forces seized her predecessor Nicolas Maduro to face trial in New York.

Alvin Hellerstein, the 92-year-old US judge handling the case against deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, has presided over a number of notable trials during his decades on the bench.

A conservation group sued President Donald Trump's administration on Monday over its failure to act on protecting American horseshoe crabs, which are increasingly threatened by the harvesting of their blood for drug safety testing.

Gary Neville said the speed of Ruben Amorim's exit from Manchester United had come as a "shock" after the Portuguese boss was sacked on Monday after 14 months in charge.