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

A top German court on Monday opened the way to further compensation claims against carmakers that installed illegal diesel exhaust treatment software, following a landmark European ruling.

Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard leads the Tour de France out of the Basque port of Bilbao on Saturday on a 21-day adventure crammed with peaks, postcard panoramas and an eye-catching showdown on a massive dormant volcano on the 3,404km route to Paris.

Mobile phones are overheating and the pavement feels like a frying pan but for Abdul al-Assad, intense desert heat is all part of the hajj pilgrimage in summertime Saudi Arabia.

Moscow made an effort on Monday to portray a return to business as usual after a weekend mutiny by mercenary troops threatened to undermine Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's grip on power.

Veteran Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric will stay at the club for another season after renewing his deal until June 2024, the Spanish side said Monday.

The two frontrunners in Guatemala's presidential elections will face a runoff vote, the electoral commission said Monday, with neither able to secure the 50 percent minimum share to win the first round.

Two months on from his disappointing performance at the Boston marathon, Eliud Kipchoge tells AFP he is determined to keep on writing history -- and secure a third Olympic marathon crown next year.

Russian mercenary group Wagner has been seen for years as an armed extension of Moscow's influence in Syria and Africa -- a status now called into question by its leader's aborted revolt.

Billy Vunipola faces a race against time to be fit for the Rugby World Cup after undergoing a minor operation on his injured knee.

The UK's performance on key health metrics is a "serious concern" and lags comparable countries, according to a report released to mark the 75th anniversary of the National Health Service's (NHS).

Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims walked or rode buses Monday to a giant tented city near Mecca for the climax of the annual hajj that Saudi officials say could break attendance records.

Serbia freed three Kosovo police officers taken into custody by its security forces earlier this month, Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti said Monday, after a court ordered the trio's release.

Menswear is where the party is happening in fashion at the moment, and the latest Paris Fashion Week was one of the most flamboyant ever.

Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds, Rob McElhenney and Michael B. Jordan are among a consortium that has bought a 24 percent stake in Formula One team Alpine Racing.

Myanmar junta authorities said they torched almost half a billion dollars worth of illegal drugs on Monday but warned they were failing to stop a surge in the production and trafficking of narcotics.

Ilkay Gundogan has signed for Barcelona on a free transfer at the end of his Manchester City contract, the Catalan club said Monday.

Kenyan President William Ruto on Monday signed into law a bill that raises taxes on a wide range of items, the presidency said, defying criticism that it will pile more economic hardship on citizens.

The ruble and most equity markets sank Monday as traders kept watch on Russia following an aborted mutiny at the weekend that stoked concerns about stability in the nuclear-armed country.

Guatemala's presidential election saw low turnout and blank ballots cast, according to early results on Sunday, with many voters doubtful it will fix the country's severe problems with poverty, crime, and corruption.

Moscow was striving Monday to portray a return to business as usual after a weekend mutiny by mercenary troops threatened Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin's grip on power.

The ruble and most equity markets sank Monday as traders kept watch on Russia following an aborted mutiny at the weekend that stoked concerns about stability in the nuclear-armed country.

A mystery Russian diplomat ended his short-lived solo defiance of the Australian government Monday after a top court forced him to stop squatting on the site of a planned embassy.

Tech giants could face billions of dollars in fines for failing to tackle disinformation under proposed Australian laws, which a watchdog on Monday said would bring "mandatory" standards to the little-regulated sector.

India's first population clock, made up of 10 white numbered cards on a large green metal board, attracts curious passersby who watch it record the story of the world's most populous nation.

French footballer Benjamin Mendy will return to a UK courtroom Monday for the start of his retrial for two alleged sexual offences, five months after a jury cleared him of multiple other counts.

Luis Romo struck twice as Mexico crushed Honduras 4-0, while a stoppage time winner from Frantzdy Pierrot gave Haiti a 2-1 victory over Qatar in the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday.

Asian markets fluctuated Monday as traders kept an eye on Russia following an aborted mutiny at the weekend that stoked concerns about stability in the nuclear-armed country.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis embarked Monday on his second term as Greece's prime minister with a vow to accelerate institutional and economic reforms, after voters handed him a huge election victory for the second time in five weeks.

Yuya Motomura, a mahjong parlour manager in Japan, had always wanted a way to prove himself to a society he felt looked down on him. Then Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russia's bid to build a new embassy near Australia's parliament suffered a legal blow on Monday, when the country's highest court denied a request for temporary protection against eviction.

A stoppage time winner from Frantzdy Pierrot gave Haiti a 2-1 victory over Qatar in group B of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Sunday.

Forest fires in Canada left Montreal blanketed with smog on Sunday, giving it the worst air quality of any major city in the world, according to a pollution monitor.