The National Times - News around the clock from Sydney, Australia and around the world

The US-Israeli air strikes that on February 28 killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei not only resulted in the death of Iran's longstanding supreme leader but also several key family members.

Iran's latest internet blackout has lasted more than 14 days, connectivity monitor Netblocks said Friday.

Mikel Arteta said Arsenal "fully trust and love" Bukayo Saka despite an underwhelming season for the England winger.

Next month's edition of the annual men's Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge universities will feature French captains for the first time in the rowing event's long history.

President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Friday that American forces would strike Iranian targets "very hard" in the coming days, signaling an intensification of the US-Israeli campaign as the war in the Middle East approaches its third week.

Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu says his side have "been to hell and back together" as they attempt to break new ground by winning a first Six Nations title.

Senegal's government said on Friday it would take back all the assets of ICS -- one of Africa's biggest phosphate fertiliser producers -– ending the licence to control it held by Asian group Indorama Ventures.

For anyone in the import business, the economic risks from the war in the Middle East arrive by sea -- and that goes for everyone who buys their products, too.

Iranian officials led a pro-government rally as explosions rocked Tehran on Friday, while the US vowed to intensify its bombing and President Donald Trump said it was his "honour" to be killing the Islamic republic's leaders.

Jason Plotkin was on a Zoom call in a synagogue on the outskirts of Detroit when he heard the crashing sound of a pickup truck ramming into the building.

Interim Tottenham manager Igor Tudor said his beleaguered team must stand up and "fight" if they are to avoid the embarrassment of relegation from the Premier League.

The surge in energy prices triggered by the conflict in the Middle East has significantly strengthened the dollar, paradoxically undermining US President Donald Trump's economic objectives.

Notorious narco trafficker, Sebastian Marset, who eluded police across Latin America for years and was on the US most-wanted list, was arrested Friday in Bolivia, a government source told AFP.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel confirmed on Friday that his government had held talks with the United States, which has made no secret of its desire for regime change on the communist island.

Germany's energy-hungry industries are sounding the alarm about the devastating impacts of the Middle East war as companies battle problems from surging power costs to snarled supply chains.

Ivory Coast on Friday commemorated the 19 victims of a jihadist attack on a popular beach resort a decade ago.

French President Emmanuel Macron Friday vowed to keep up pressure on Russia to end its four-year invasion of Ukraine after Washington partially rolled back sanctions against Moscow to cool oil prices sent soaring by the Middle East war.

For thousands of workers in Dubai's tourism sector, the Middle East war has brought business to a standstill -- leaving their income suddenly at risk.

US airport security officers missed their first full paycheck Friday as a partial funding shutdown of the government approached the one-month mark, with no breakthrough in a congressional standoff that is beginning to disrupt travel across the country.

Michael Carrick on Friday brushed off criticism from former Manchester United teammate Paul Scholes as he prepares his side for a crunch Premier League game against Aston Villa.

Oil dipped under $100 Friday, but remained far above pre-Mideast war levels with no end in sight to the disruption in supplies of crude.

The US Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge came in slightly lower than expected in January, registering 2.8 percent growth over a year ago, according to data released Friday ahead of a key central bank rate-setting meeting next week.

Six Georgian men's rugby international players have been suspended for doping violations following a joint investigation by World Rugby and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), it was announced on Friday.

The Djidji Ayokwe "talking drum", which was looted by French colonial troops in 1916 and taken to France, arrived back in Ivory Coast Friday, in the latest repatriation of stolen artefacts.

President Donald Trump said Friday he feels honored to be killing Iran's leadership, calling them "deranged scumbags."

Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League title challenge "will be over" if they fail to beat resurgent West Ham on Saturday.

Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior hailed Reece James as the "best player in world football in his position" after the captain signed a new six-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

The US economy grew at a significantly slower pace than initially estimated for the final months of 2025, government data showed Friday, a major downgrade that comes as fallout from war in the Middle East looms.

Poland's centrist government on Friday unveiled a "Plan B" for financing the modernisation of its military and arms industry, after nationalist President Karol Nawrocki's veto of nearly 44 billion euros in European loans.

Deadly explosions rocked Tehran close to a pro-government rally attended by top officials Friday, as Israel and Iran unleashed fresh strikes in a war that has ignited the Middle East and threatens to torpedo the world economy.

Swiss skier Marco Odermatt sealed his fifth successive overall World Cup title on Friday with a third-placed finish in the downhill won by Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr.

Chelsea captain Reece James believes the Blues "have everything it takes" to be successful after signing a new six-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said Friday he was "confident" that Kylian Mbappe will be available to face Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday for talks aimed at ramping up pressure on Russia to end its four-year invasion.

EU nations on Friday backed a ban on AI systems generating sexualised deepfakes, after an outcry over such images produced by Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok.

An Iranian drone has killed a French soldier in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, his commanding officer said on Friday, after President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the first French military death in the Middle East war.

Oil dipped under $100 Friday, but remained far above pre-Mideast war levels with no end in sight to disrupted crude supplies.

Sunrisers Leeds are facing a fierce social media backlash after the Indian-owned Hundred franchise signed Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed this week.

Abdul Malick sat among mourning relatives in his village in southern Pakistan, receiving condolences from neighbours after his nephew, Muzaffar Ali, was killed in Dubai last week.