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

Cyclone Ditwah, which struck Sri Lanka last month, caused an estimated $4.1 billion in direct physical damage to buildings, agriculture and critical infrastructure, according to a World Bank report released Monday.

Oracle tech tycoon Larry Ellison is offering a $40.4 billion personal guarantee to back Paramount's hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, deepening a bidding war with Netflix, a statement said on Monday.

Wall Street and Asian stock markets advanced on Monday, with tech stocks leading the way.

Telefonica will cut up to 5,500 jobs in Spain under a voluntary departure plan agreed with trade unions last week, the debt-laden telecoms firm said in a statement on Monday.

Cambodia said Thailand launched air strikes on its territory on Monday, shortly after Bangkok announced the two nations had agreed to hold talks this week aimed at halting deadly border clashes.

England coach Brendon McCullum wants to stay in his job despite a chastening Ashes series defeat but admits his future is out of his hands.

Brussels hit back Monday at China slapping duties of up to 42.7 percent on some dairy products from the European Union, calling the move "unjustified".

Italy's competition authority said Monday it had fined the US tech giant Apple 98 million euros ($115 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the mobile app market.

The America's Cup will take place every two years starting in 2027, organisers announced on Monday, unveiling an unprecedented alliance among several founding teams.

Mikel Arteta has hinted that he is ready to hand Gabriel Jesus his first start in nearly a year in Arsenal's League Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

The European Commission said Monday it had opened an investigation to assess whether the Czech government's support plan for the construction and operation of two nuclear units is in line with EU state aid rules.

Former England cricket chief Andrew Strauss has warned that removing coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes will not be enough to change a "depressingly one-sided story" in Australia following another painful Ashes defeat.

Cambodia and Thailand agreed Monday to hold border talks this week, after a regional meeting in Malaysia aimed at halting deadly clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours.

Olympic champion Clement Noel showed signs of a return to top form ahead of the Winter Games, setting the fastest time in the first run of the World Cup slalom in Alta Badia on Monday.

Stock markets diverged Monday and gold hit a record high as the latest round of US data boosted hopes for more interest rate cuts and concerns over AI spending subsided.

Manchester City's players face a Christmas Day weigh-in to check they have not over-indulged over the festive period -- with Pep Guardiola warning they will be dropped if they have piled on the pounds.

Security has been tightened at German Christmas markets after recent deadly attacks. But if some online videos were to be believed, they've become barbed-wire fortresses guarded by armoured personnel carriers.

Liverpool are awaiting scan results they fear will confirm record signing Alexander Isak has suffered a broken leg after he was injured in their win against Tottenham, reports said Monday.

West Indies Test captain Roston Chase said Monday he felt he had let his team down with his performances in their 2-0 series loss to New Zealand.

Thailand's top diplomat said on Monday that Cambodia had agreed to hold border talks this week, after a regional meeting in Malaysia aimed at halting deadly clashes between the Southeast Asian neighbours.

The two suspects in a deadly mass shooting at Australia's Bondi Beach carried out "tactical" training in the countryside, police alleged Monday, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologised to the country's Jewish community and vowed tougher laws against extremism.

A Swiss court has decided to hear a landmark climate case pitting residents of a tiny Indonesian island being swallowed by rising sea levels against cement giant Holcim, NGOs helping the islanders said Monday.

Aaron Rodgers' Pittsburgh Steelers clung on for a dramatic 29-24 win against the Lions Sunday, leaving Detroit's playoff hopes hanging by a thread as three NFL teams confirmed their post-season berths.

Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 47 points as the New York Knicks toppled the Miami Heat 132-125 on Sunday.

The fragile global legal framework for nuclear weapons control faces further setbacks in 2026, eroding guardrails to avoid a nuclear crisis.

New Zealand crushed West Indies by 323 runs after tea Monday to win the third Test at Mount Maunganui and seal a 2-0 series victory, with Jacob Duffy's five-wicket haul proving crucial to the win.

Asian markets rallied Monday and gold hit a record high as the latest round of US data boosted hopes for more interest rate cuts, while worries over AI spending also subsided.

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak lost a bid Monday to have his jail term changed to house arrest, a setback ahead of a separate verdict this week tied to the country's 1MDB scandal.

After four months of restless waiting, filmmaker Kiwi Chow received a dreaded, but not altogether unexpected, message: Hong Kong censors had banned his new movie from reaching the big screen.

New Zealand were on the brink of a 2-0 series win over the West Indies at tea on Monday, needing two more wickets in the final session of the third Test at Mount Maunganui.

Australia's most populous state pushed ahead Monday with what it said were the country's strictest gun laws and a ban on displaying "terrorist" symbols after two gunmen killed 15 people celebrating a Jewish festival in Sydney last week.

The first winds of west Africa's Harmattan dry season are in the air, and Lagos, the economic capital of the continent's most populous country, is abuzz.