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

American and Israeli negotiators were expected in Cairo over the weekend for a renewed push to reach a ceasefire-hostage deal in a war that has raged for nearly half a year.

US women's college basketball sensation Caitlin Clark rallied the University of Iowa over the University of Connecticut 71-69 on Friday, giving her a chance to complete her historic career with a national title.

Triple world champion Max Verstappen went fastest in Saturday's final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

The United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines will hold joint naval and air drills in the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, their defence chiefs said in a statement, as they deepen ties to counter China's growing assertiveness in the region.

It was on a New Zealand rugby tour of France in the 1970s when ex-All Blacks hardman John Ashworth tasted the wine that inspired him to become an award-winning winemaker.

Writer and activist Ailton Krenak on Friday became the first Indigenous person inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Letters, as dancers in feather headdresses shook up the staid proceedings of the country's leading literary institution.

The top-seeded Boston Celtics held off a 40-point display from De'Aaron Fox and a furious fourth-quarter rally to beat the Sacramento Kings 101-100 on Friday.

Former Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale has joined Super Rugby strugglers Western Force, the Australian club announced Saturday, as he resumes his career after being cleared of sexual assault.

Sometime between now and September, a massive explosion 3,000 light years from Earth will flare up in the night sky, giving amateur astronomers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness this space oddity.

Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye named a "breakaway" government on Friday, appointing a host of fresh faces to top roles following his landslide election win last month.

Netflix's blockbuster "3 Body Problem", an adaptation of the crown jewel of Chinese sci-fi, has sparked passionate debate and divided opinions among fans in the country despite it not being available to watch there.

Children sit shoulder to shoulder crammed in rows on the floor of a shipping container with lesson books in their laps, the remains of their school unrepaired in the six months since a major earthquake devastated their village in western Afghanistan.

"It was love at first sight". Fifty years after ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest, Belgian fan Claudine, still remembers how their performance paved the way for Swedish pop's international success.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said Friday the Rolex watches that put her in the crosshairs of corruption investigators had been lent to her by a friend and denied owning other luxury items, as the scandal shakes her fragile government.

President Joe Biden has stood firmly by Israel amid months of mounting domestic and international outcry over the humanitarian toll in Gaza, but the killing of seven aid workers in an Israeli strike seems to have brought him the closest yet to a breaking point.

Ireland's Leona Maguire overcame blustery conditions to fire a three-under par 69 on Friday and advance to this weekend's LPGA Match Play quarter-finals as the top seed.

"Sheriff's Department! Search Warrant," shout armed officers as they enter a property in the heart of the Californian desert, where they soon find hundreds of illegal cannabis plants.

Tiger Woods appears set to make his 26th start at the Masters next week, but the 15-time major winner remains hampered by severe leg injuries from a 2021 car crash.

Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, defending champion Jon Rahm and a host of the world's finest golfers arrive at Augusta National looking to make history in next week's 88th Masters.

Akshay Bhatia birdied two of his last three holes and stretched his lead from three to five strokes after Friday's second round of the PGA Texas Open.

Elon Musk revealed Friday that Tesla will pull back the curtain on a robotaxi this summer, news that comes as adoption of self-driving vehicles hits speed bumps over safety concerns.

UN Security Council diplomats were shaken in their chairs, planes got briefly grounded, and furniture rattled across New York Friday when an earthquake jolted the city that never sleeps.

US top seed Jessica Pegula saved four match points to eliminate two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka on Friday and advance to the WTA Charleston Open semi-finals.

Boeing's CEO received $33 million in compensation for 2023 but declined a potential $2.8 million bonus following the near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines incident in January, the company said Friday in a securities filing.

Wall Street stocks rallied Friday following strong jobs data, shrugging off worries about higher oil prices and monetary policy.

A Salma Paralluelo hat-trick inspired Spain to a 7-0 win in Belgium on Friday in the opening fixture of their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign, while Marie-Antoinette Katoto gave France a narrow home win over Ireland.

Canadian star Jonathan David scored his 23rd goal of the season to set Lille on the way to a 3-1 win over Marseille on Friday that kept them firmly on course for next season's Champions League.

The governments of Colombia and Panama on Friday denied accusations by Human Rights Watch that they had not done enough to protect migrants crossing the lawless jungle between their countries, and asked for international support in tackling the mounting crisis.

A Southwest Airlines flight from Texas to Los Angeles was forced to abort during takeoff on Thursday due to an engine fire on a Boeing 737 aircraft, the latest problem incident on a Boeing jet.

Mexico on Friday granted political asylum to an Ecuadoran former vice president sheltering at its embassy in Quito, deepening a diplomatic dispute between the two Latin American nations.

Facebook giant Meta on Friday asked a federal judge to dismiss a case from a powerful US antitrust authority that could see the social media juggernaut forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.

Insect repellent has become a hot commodity in Argentina, which is besieged by dengue-carrying mosquitoes and facing shortages that have sparked supermarket brawls, rations and homemade concoctions.