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

Leading European and Asian stock markets retreated Monday, as recent record heights gave way to concern over increased geopolitical tensions and stubbornly-high inflation according to traders.

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane returned from an ankle injury to take part in club training on Monday, putting him on course for Saturday's clash with Borussia Dortmund.

Israeli forces fought Hamas militants in besieged Gaza on Monday including around at least two major hospitals, raising fears for the patients, medics and displaced people trapped inside.

Former Brazil international footballer Dani Alves, convicted of rape in Spain, has paid his bail of one million euros and can leave jail pending his appeal, a court said Monday.

Kyiv's mayor said seven people including a teenage girl were wounded on Monday after Ukrainian air defence systems downed two Russian ballistic missiles over the capital, sending metal debris crashing to the ground.

The Kremlin refused to comment Monday on the Islamic State group's claims that it was behind the deadliest attack in Russia in two decades, as rescuers searched for bodies amid the rubble of the burnt-out Moscow concert hall.

Senegal's anti-establishment candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye appeared to be closing in Monday on winning a presidential election just over a week after his release from prison, but the governing coalition insisted a run-off would still be needed.

The EU on Monday hit Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Meta with the first ever probes under a mammoth digital law, which could lead to big fines against the US giants.

Kasun Rajitha claimed his second five-wicket haul in Test cricket as Sri Lanka crushed Bangladesh by 328 runs on Monday in Sylhet to go 1-0 up in the two-match series.

Russia has ordered four men accused of killing at least 137 people in a massacre at a Moscow concert hall to be held in custody on "terror" charges with the death toll expected to climb as more than 100 people are hospitalised.

Asian markets mostly fell on Monday as investors set their sights on the release of key US inflation data due at the end of the week.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has requested a summit with her brother, adding a meeting was unlikely without a policy shift by Tokyo.

Austrian consultant Michael Woditschka well remembers the fateful day when he was summoned by police over his relationship with a teenage boy and subsequently convicted in court.

A sumo star was born in Japan when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in more than a century to win a tournament on his debut in the top division.

When Yasushi Sasaki moved from Japan to Belgium at the age of 19, he spoke not a word of French and had no clue what he would do with his life.

Hong Kong's justice minister has warned that posting and sharing criticism of the city's newly enacted national security law could be in breach of the legislation, which lays down harsh penalties for sedition.

The Philippines said Monday it had summoned a Chinese envoy over "aggressive actions" by the China Coast Guard and other vessels near a reef off the Southeast Asian country's coast.

Flawless drives from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in Melbourne coupled with Max Verstappen's retirement ensured Red Bull will not have it all their own way this season.

Japan look poised to reach the final stage of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup without kicking a ball after FIFA said their match at North Korea will not be rescheduled.

Gio Reyna and Tyler Adams scored as the United States beat Mexico 2-0 in Sunday's CONCACAF Nations League final, giving the Americans all three titles in the event's history.

The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a new draft resolution on an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza, after Russia and China vetoed an earlier text proposed by the United States.

Ukraine will bid to qualify for a first major tournament since Russia's invasion of the country when they take on Iceland in a Euro 2024 play-off final on Tuesday, while Georgia target history against Greece.

Less than 500 metres separate the Stade de France -- the sparkling centrepiece of the Paris Olympics -- and the crumbling Francs-Moisins estate plagued by poverty and crime.

Asian markets were mixed on Monday as investors set their sights on the release of key US inflation data due at the end of the week.

They may get a bad rap in the media, but the working-class suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis that will host some major events at the Paris Olympics hide some hidden treasures.

More than a decade after London hosted the Olympic Games, cranes are still everywhere in and around the Olympic Park in Stratford, where an array of buildings are under construction.

World number one Iga Swiatek kept her nerve to beat 26th-ranked Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 6-4 at the WTA Miami Open on Sunday.

The final round of talks on a landmark pandemic accord faces a frantic last push this week, with countries still pulling in different directions on how to handle future global health crises.

The revelation that Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, has cancer prompted a swift backlash over a torrent of lurid social media speculation around her health, including by those positing she was secretly dead. But the somber news has not stopped the seemingly endless churn of conspiracy theories.

Giannis Antetokounmpo sparked the Milwaukee Bucks over Oklahoma City in a Sunday showdown of NBA contenders while James Harden lost his first meeting with Philadelphia since the 76ers traded him.

If the US Supreme Court, which on Tuesday hears a sensitive case on the availability of abortion pills, ultimately decides to restrict their access, it will impinge on the scientific authority of the federal Food and Drug Administration in unprecedented and consequential ways.

For three decades Joe Lau has tied his racehorse training career to the rising and falling fortunes of the Macau Jockey Club, but in a few days it will all be over.