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

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique on Friday refused to comment on Kylian Mbappe's decision to leave the club at the end of the season.

Ukraine said Friday it was pulling back from a position on the southern outskirts of frontline city Avdiivka, a main target for Moscow ahead of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Valentine's day is over but love's call lingers: the Skywalker gibbons' mating song, scientists reported this week, has revealed a previously unknown population -- the largest in the world -- of the endangered primate in the jungles of Myanmar.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe seems to be edging towards a Real Madrid move, with excitement already building in the Spanish capital.

Jurgen Klopp has rejected suggestions that Liverpool rushed players back too soon after Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Dominik Szoboszlai all suffered setbacks after returning to action.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday entered an elite club of bowlers to take 500 Test wickets in a stellar cricketing career that includes a World Cup triumph.

The Kremlin's most prominent critic Alexei Navalny died Friday in an Arctic prison, said Russian authorities, announcing his death a month before an election poised to extend Vladimir Putin's hold on power.

London Fashion Week kicked off Friday with a tribute to New York, as Princess Diana's favoured couturier delivered a show featuring scarves and blouses adorned with the city's famous taxis and skyscrapers.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken next week pays his first official visits to Brazil and Argentina, the State Department said Friday, as he looks for common ground with the Latin American powers' independent-minded leaders.

Africa saw the pace of economic growth sag last year as inflation continued to rise but is set to rebound this year, the African Development Bank said Friday.

British bank NatWest on Friday said net profit jumped nearly a third in 2023 on higher interest rates, adding that Paul Thwaite would become permanent chief executive following boardroom turmoil.

Opener Ben Duckett smashed a century to lead England's attacking reply of 207-2 on Friday after Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reached 500 Test wickets in the third match of the series.

On a clear day, the view south from Safed, high in the mountains of northern Israel, stretches uninterrupted across orange groves and orchards to the Sea of Galilee.

Civil rights groups on Friday called on an EU watchdog to rule against Facebook owner Meta's scheme to let Europeans pay to opt out of data tracking, which they say violates EU law.

Eddie Howe admitted Friday he has "concerns" over Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth's knowledge of the club's inner workings as speculation mounts that he is on the brink of a switch to Manchester United.

Opener Ben Duckett smashed a century to lead England's attacking reply of 207-2 on Friday after Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reached 500 Test wickets in the third match of the series.

Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami won the first World Cup downhill of a double header at Crans-Montana in front of her home crowd on Friday, extending her lead over the absent Mikaela Shiffrin in the overall standings.

Egypt is building a walled camp in the Sinai Peninsula to receive Palestinians displaced from the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip, according to a US media report on Thursday.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison on Friday, leveraged social media and fatigue with the Kremlin to rise to prominence.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a security deal with Germany on Friday in Berlin, hailed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz as a "historic step" amid Kyiv's raging battles against Russia.

Tottenham winger Timo Werner said on Friday "the fun has completely returned" as a result of his loan move from RB Leipzig in January.

Europe's stocks rallied Friday, with Frankfurt and Paris striking more record peaks after solid Asian gains, as investors shrugged off recessions in Britain and Japan before publication of key US data.

Mikel Arteta says title-chasing Arsenal have "learned a lot of things from last season" as they chase a fifth straight Premier League win against Burnley on Saturday.

Two Iranian directors said they have been barred from travelling to the Berlin film festival for their new movie's premiere Friday for breaking one of their country's biggest taboos: showing a woman pursuing a "normal life".

Israeli settler Ely Federman probably doesn't know it yet, but he is under international sanction.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday entered an elite club of bowlers to take 500 Test wickets in a stellar cricketing career that includes a World Cup triumph.

A towering golden Buddha watches over families sifting through the wreckage of their homes in a northern Myanmar village as they grieve for all they have lost in heavy artillery and air strikes.

Ukraine said Friday it was sending more reinforcements to the frontline city of Avdiivka, a main target for Moscow ahead of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Paul McCartney has expressed his gratitude after the Beatles legend was reunited with a missing bass guitar that he owned in the 1960s and used on several Fab Four tracks.

There was growing concern Friday over a key Gaza hospital a day after a raid by the Israeli army, with the Hamas-run health ministry saying several patients had died there due to a lack of oxygen.

A woman has accused French screen legend Gerard Depardieu of allegedly sexually assaulting her during a 2014 film shoot, according to the police complaint and a newspaper report.

England reached tea unscathed at 31-0 after bowling out India for 445 on Friday with fast bowler Mark Wood taking four wickets in the third Test at Rajkot.