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

French ice dancers Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry are poised to win Olympic gold in Milan despite a baptism of fire in their debut season with accusations of control and manipulation flying.

Norway's Birk Ruud won gold in the Olympic men's freeski slopestyle on Tuesday after an error-filled event at Livigno Snow Park.

Mikaela Shiffrin suffered more Winter Olympic pain on Tuesday after the US ski star failed to claim a medal in the women's team combined, bringing back memories of her disastrous performance at the Beijing Games four years ago.

Captain Maro Itoje returns as one of two changes for England's Six Nations trip to Scotland on Saturday as Steve Borthwick's men look to build on a 12-game winning run.

In the heart of the Sahara, where the routes to Sudan and Libya cross, the Chadian city of Amdjarass has been transformed this week into an open-air celebration of desert culture.

US retail sales showed no growth in December, according to delayed government data released Tuesday, missing analysts' expectations amid heightened scrutiny of the American consumer's appetite -- a key driver of the world's biggest economy.

Farmers across Europe are protesting amid one of the most plentiful potato harvests in years, as the unintended consequences of US tariffs and increased competition drive down prices.

Bangladesh's leading prime ministerial hopeful Tarique Rahman said on Tuesday he faces "huge" challenges if he wins elections this week, vowing to repair a country he said was looted under the previous ousted government.

Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday Manchester City must address a habit of second half slumps if they are to retain any hope of chasing down Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.

Senegal ordered the closure of student residences at a major university in Dakar on Tuesday, a day after a medical student died during clashes with police, shocking the university community.

US Vice President JD Vance arrived Tuesday in Azerbaijan, a day after visiting Armenia on a regional trip aimed at consolidating a US-brokered peace process between the Caucasus neighbours.

Russia had been widely expected to launch a massive strike on Ukraine, but the evening crew at one of the country's frequently targeted power stations could do nothing to prepare.

Mikaela Shiffrin suffered more Olympic pain on Tuesday after the US ski star failed to claim a medal in the women's team combined, which was won by Austrian duo Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber.

India said Tuesday it would be "a challenge" to face a "quality" Pakistan team in Colombo after Islamabad U-turned and decided to play the blockbuster T20 World Cup clash.

EU lawmakers backed plans Tuesday for a digital euro, a project that has split the bloc but has gained greater urgency as Europe seeks to bolster its financial sovereignty.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sought to move on Tuesday from speculation about his future after fending off serious calls to resign over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

Winter Olympics organisers said Tuesday that athletes whose medals had broken at the Milan-Cortina Games could hand them in for repair after a string of embarrassing glitches.

Russia's internet watchdog on Tuesday announced it was throttling the Telegram messenger platform for alleged violations of Russian law, as Moscow tries to push Russians to use a more tightly controlled domestic online service.

ArcelorMittal said Tuesday that it would build a low-carbon electric furnace at its steel mill in northern France, after months of wrangling with officials over the project's economic viability.

Finn Allen and Tim Seifert posted a T20 World Cup record partnership of 175 as New Zealand crushed the United Arab Emirates by 10 wickets with almost five overs to spare in Chennai on Tuesday.

Norway's Birk Ruud won gold in the Olympic men's freeski slopestyle competition on Tuesday after an error-filled event at Livigno Snow Park.

Breezy Johnson said Tuesday that she has been given a new gold medal for her triumph in the women's downhill after her first one broke while she celebrated on the podium.

Franjo von Allmen will head into Wednesday's super-G at the Winter Olympics aiming to seal an unprecedented third gold medal for Switzerland.

Arne Slot conceded on Tuesday that his side are "not performing to the standards of Liverpool" and need to be nearly perfect for the remainder of the season just to qualify for the Champions League.

Music streaming giant Spotify said Tuesday that its number of monthly active users reached 751 million at the end of its fourth quarter, with the number of premium paying subscribers reaching 290 million.

The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday said a Ukrainian skeleton racer could wear a black armband at the Winter Olympics but confirmed it had banned his helmet that features Ukrainian sportspeople killed in the war wth Russia.

British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca said Tuesday that its net profit jumped 45 percent last year on strong sales of cancer drugs, as it expands its reach in the United States and China.

The United Arab Emirates made 173-6 against New Zealand in their opening T20 World Cup Group D match in Chennai on Tuesday, largely thanks to their captain Muhammad Waseem's 66 not out.

Stock markets mostly rose Tuesday as traders assessed company earnings and the outlook for the tech sector, ahead of key US economic data releases this week.

A new London exhibition is aiming to inspire children to follow in the footsteps of the creators of "Wallace and Gromit" and their beloved animated world.

British oil giant BP announced Tuesday an 86 percent slide in annual net profit, hit by lower crude prices and a huge write-down linked to its green energy transition.

Breezy Johnson gave herself a great chance of claiming double Olympic gold on Tuesday after being fastest in the downhill run of the women's team combined, setting up Mikaela Shiffrin to give the USA more alpine skiing success at the Milan-Cortina Games.

US tariffs hit French wine and spirits shipments hard last year, playing a major role in the overall drop of eight percent in value of one of France's top exports, a trade body said Tuesday.

Bangladesh's police chief said Tuesday that more than 150,000 officers will be deployed for this week's elections, warning that more than half of polling stations were flagged as vulnerable to violence.

OpenAI has begun placing ads in the basic versions of its ChatGPT chatbot, a bet that users will not mind the interruptions as the company seeks revenue as its costs soar.

A study published on Tuesday showed that more than half of the world's coral reefs were bleached between 2014-2017 -- a record-setting episode now being eclipsed by another series of devastating heatwaves.

Senior England player Jos Buttler on Tuesday backed under-fire Brendon McCullum, saying the New Zealander was "as sharp a coach as I've ever worked with".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington Wednesday, seeking to press him to adopt a tougher line on Iran's ballistic missile programme in the next round of talks.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants to include European partners in a resumption of dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin nearly four years after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.