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

Former US President George W. Bush believed he had a "sense of his soul". British ex-premier Tony Blair thought he deserved a place at the "top table". And French President Emmanuel Macron invited him for hours of talks at his official holiday residence.

The Canterbury Crusaders launch their bid for an eighth straight Super Rugby title on Friday with new head coach Rob Penney out to emulate the stunning success -- but not the breakdancing -- of Scott Robertson.

Having rushed to join the Ukrainian army when Russia invaded, Ivan Zadontsev is now exhausted as the grinding campaign enters its third year.

Weaker exports, costly energy and a stuttering green transition have combined to form a "perfect storm" for the German economy, leaving Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition bickering over how to change course.

Asian markets were mostly down Wednesday, tracking US losses as investors await a key tech earnings report and Fed policy meeting minutes later in the day.

Son Heung-min apologised on Wednesday for his role in a bust-up with South Korea team-mate Lee Kang-in at the Asian Cup and urged fans to forgive the Paris Saint-Germain player.

Stricken by drought and depleted by upstream dams, Iraq's once mighty rivers the Tigris and Euphrates are suffocating under pollutants from sewage to medical waste.

Two Pakistan parties have reached a power-sharing agreement that will return Shehbaz Sharif to the premiership, leaving out politicians loyal to jailed former leader Imran Khan despite winning the most seats in this month's vote.

Donald Trump on Tuesday compared his own legal troubles with the persecution of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who died in prison last week.

The sound of gentle tapping filled a jewellery workshop in southern China as a craftsman hammered pine leaf patterns onto a soft slab of gold in the style of old ink paintings.

Rockets at dawn, gunfire outside, hours of anxiety: a survivor of the October 7 attack shared his account of the day Gaza militants stormed his southern Israeli community, speaking into a video camera.

World number two Carlos Alcaraz retired from his first-round match Tuesday at the ATP Rio Open after rolling his right ankle on just the second point of the contest against Thiago Monteiro.

Ahead of the Paris Olympics in July and August, French prosecutors are working on four enquiries into possible wrongdoing, but are the investigations a sign of problems or of genuine efforts to tackle graft?

G20 foreign ministers open a two-day meeting Wednesday in Brazil, with the outlook bleak for progress on a thorny agenda of conflicts and crises, from the Gaza and Ukraine wars to growing polarization.

The year 2024 promises to be a busy one for American Moon landings, all under a new partnership between NASA and the space industry.

A company from Texas is poised to attempt a feat that until now has only been accomplished by a handful of national space agencies, but could soon become commonplace for the private sector: landing on the Moon.

The woman responsible for the guns on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie "Rust," where a cinematographer was shot dead during filming in 2021, will go on trial in the western United States on Wednesday.

A Moscow court on Tuesday said jailed US journalist Evan Gershkovich would remain in pre-trial detention until at least March 30, ensuring he will spend at least a year behind bars, as Russia separately slapped a ban on a US-funded broadcaster.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Brazil on Tuesday for his first trip to the South American nation, arriving amid a diplomatic spat after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva enraged Washington ally Israel by comparing its Gaza campaign to the Holocaust.

Eleven Ukrainian children crossed the border from Belarus to Ukraine Tuesday evening, in the latest return of children taken to Russia and occupied territories during the nearly two-year Ukraine war.

Pakistan's two dynastic parties announced late Tuesday a power-sharing agreement that is set to return Shehbaz Sharif to the premiership after an election this month failed to produce a decisive winner.

Mikel Arteta said the dream of Arsenal winning the club's first ever Champions League at Wembley is in his players' minds as they make a long-awaited return to the knockout stages at Porto on Wednesday.

PSV Eindhoven coach Peter Bosz was left ruing missed chances after his side squandered several opportunities in a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last-16 first-leg tie on Tuesday.

Simone Inzaghi is ready to give Marko Arnautovic more game time after the wasteful Austria forward redeemed himself with the winning goal in Inter Milan's 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola said Erling Haaland had "shut the mouths" of his critics after scoring the only goal of a nervy 1-0 win for Manchester City over Brentford on Tuesday.

British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe said becoming a co-owner of Manchester United is a "great honour" and "responsibility" after his purchase of a minority stake was finalised on Tuesday.

The alleged murderers of Jam Master Jay were executioners who ambushed the Run-DMC member as part of a drug dispute, US prosecutors told jurors Tuesday during closing arguments of the long-awaited trial.

Dutch striker Donyell Malen snatched a vital goal to earn Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund a 1-1 draw away at his old club PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last-16 first-leg on Tuesday.

Marko Arnautovic gave Inter Milan a single-goal advantage in their Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid after netting the only goal in Tuesday's hard-fought 1-0 win.

Erling Haaland took Manchester City to within one point of Premier League leaders Liverpool but the champions were made to sweat for a 1-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday.

A Moscow court on Tuesday said jailed US journalist Evan Gershkovich would remain in pre-trial detention until at least March 30, ensuring he will spend at least a year behind bars, as a dual citizen was separately arrested in Russia.

Two men have been charged with murder over the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade which left one person dead and 22 wounded, officials said Tuesday.