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

India kick off their World Cup campaign against Australia in Chennai on Sunday in the 150th clash in one-day internationals between two of cricket's heavyweight superpowers.

Asian markets posted gains in early trade Friday, shrugging off Wall Street losses ahead of key US jobs data.

Ex-international football star George Weah is running for a second term as Liberia's president in elections on Tuesday, with peace and development among voters' main concerns.

With Pixie the Chihuahua curled nearby and studio walls covered in mementos, Jeff Katz leans into the radio microphone and delivers a rather less cozy message to his conservative audience: Joe Biden and Democrats are corrupt villains destroying America.

Nearly a month after floods hit Derna in eastern Libya, survivors are struggling to overcome the psychological toll, with many grieving the loss -- or still without news -- of loved ones.

Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen are dreaming of a Bundesliga title challenge, just a year since the Spaniard took over as coach with the club languishing near the relegation zone.

Unbeaten Wales have promised no let-up when they take on winless Georgia in Nantes on Saturday, coach Warren Gatland insisting a victory would continue to help grow his side going into the World Cup quarter-finals.

After their stunning Champions League win over Arsenal, Lens are looking to cap a memorable week with another victory when they return to domestic duty in France with a derby against bitter local rivals Lille.

From robberies on land to hold-ups at sea by rifle-toting, hooded men, Ecuador's shrimp industry is facing a wave of violent crime that is threatening the country's star export.

Parents of young children in the United States are finding that with day care centers in short supply, or too expensive, more and more of them -- mostly mothers -- are having to stay at home to look after their kids.

The use of crop dusting in Brazil -- the world's biggest consumer of pesticides -- has helped fuel the giant agricultural industry that props up Latin America's largest economy. But as public health concerns mount, the future of the practice is increasingly in doubt.

Spread out on the grass opposite the ruins of a cafe, blackened and dismembered bodies lay among the carnage wrought by a Russian missile strike on the eastern Ukrainian village of Groza.

Ireland's victory over defending champions South Africa two weeks ago has been hailed as one of the great Rugby World Cup performances and they will not wish to spoil that by losing to Scotland on Saturday.

Arsenal could leapfrog Manchester City in an early season showdown for the Premier League title on Sunday as crisis-hit Manchester United seek some respite at home to Brentford.

Advance ticket sales for the movie of Taylor Swift's "Eras" tour have topped $100 million worldwide, theater operator AMC said Thursday, making it the best-selling feature-length concert film in history.

South Korea's Kim Hyo-joo reeled off four straight birdies on the back nine on Thursday to seize a two-shot lead after the first round of the Ascendant LPGA in Dallas, Texas.

US market regulators on Thursday asked a judge to order Elon Musk to comply with a subpoena to answer questions about his purchases of Twitter shares last year.

The United States and Mexico pledged Thursday to step up efforts to tackle flows of drugs and migrants, setting aside signs of friction over a US plan to extend a controversial border wall.

Weather disasters fueled by climate change -- from floods to droughts, storms to wildfires -- sparked 43.1 million child displacements from 2016 to 2021, the UN Children's Fund warned Thursday, slamming the lack of attention paid to victims.

Chesson Hadley fired eight birdies in an eight-under par 64 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the US PGA Tour Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson, Mississippi.

Six artworks stolen by the Nazis and returned recently to the heirs of the Austrian Jew who owned them will be auctioned in New York next month, Christie's said Thursday.

Chicago Bears icon Dick Butkus, revered as one of the most ferocious tacklers in NFL history, died Thursday in California at the age of 80, his family said.

Head coach Ian Foster said he was looking forward to a "monster" quarter-final after New Zealand secured their place in the knock-out phases with an 11-try rout of Uruguay.

Japan's Olympic champion Daiki Hashimoto bounced back after struggling in qualifying to successfully defend his men's all-around title at the world gymnastics championships in Antwerp on Thursday.

Eastern Canada shattered heat records this week with temperatures close to 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit), worrying experts and everyday people struggling to cope with extreme weather made worse by climate change.

A campus gynecologist for a top California university who had been charged with sexually abusing patients has been found dead at his home, his attorney said Thursday.

An attack Thursday on a Syrian military academy killed more than 110 people, a war monitor said, with state media blaming "terrorist organisations" for the drone strike in government-held Homs.

Liverpool closed in on the Europa League knockout rounds with a 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday, while Brighton fought back to secure their first European point in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Marseille.

US stocks recovered lost ground to close down just slightly Thursday, while those in Europe finished lower, ahead of key US jobs data.

Lewis Hamilton on Thursday praised his erstwhile title rival Max Verstappen for "raising the bar" this season and added his voice to those who support the American Andretti team's bid to enter Formula One.

US President Joe Biden defended on Thursday plans to extend the border wall with Mexico, saying he didn't think such barriers worked but he was bound by laws introduced under Donald Trump.

The Dallas Cowboys face the ultimate test of their championship aspirations on Sunday when they take on the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers in the latest instalment of one of the NFL's most ferocious rivalries.