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

Thick or thin, greasy or crispy, with samurai sauce or a more traditional mayo dip? A TV show has been on a quest to find the best fries in potato-mad Belgium.

The world is hungrier than ever for copper, a key ingredient in green energy and the data centers that power artificial intelligence.

US e-commerce platform eBay will cut some 1,000 jobs, or about nine percent of its workforce, a spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday, following an initial round of layoffs in February.

Michael Carrick admitted Manchester United were difficult to watch during an "unacceptable" 4-1 Champions League thrashing by Como on Wednesday, but insisted he is not concerned about losing his job as manager.

Aston Villa maintained their perfect start to the Champions League on Wednesday, cruising to a 3-1 win against Norwegian side Viking to strengthen their push for a top-eight finish in the league phase.

Real Madrid claimed a third Champions League victory in as many games by thrashing RB Leipzig 4-1 on Wednesday, with Kylian Mbappe and Yan Diomande among the goals for Jose Mourinho's side.

Tesla reported a drop in third-quarter profits Wednesday but topped analyst estimates as multi-billionaire Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker invested heavily in new technologies.

US shopping giant Walmart on Wednesday unveiled tools allowing artificial intelligence agents such as Meta’s Muse to shop on behalf of its customers, taking the opposite approach to rival Amazon, which bars outside AI agents from its platform.

Kurt Suzuki will not be retained as manager of the Los Angeles Angels after the first 100-loss campaign in club history, the Major League Baseball team announced on Wednesday.

Quebec's new separatist leader took office Wednesday after being sworn in without pledging an oath to King Charles III, while the monarch's official representative in the Canadian province stayed away from the ceremony.

Washington has ordered non-essential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, the State Department said on Wednesday, as the kingdom comes under sustained deadly attacks by Yemen's Houthis.

The UAE nominated Wednesday its foreign ministry official Lana Nusseibeh to run in the contest to lead the UN as none of the six existing candidates has emerged as a clear front-runner.

Global stock markets rose Wednesday, boosted by news that Elon Musk's SpaceX reported its first quarterly profit as a publicly traded company.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday he welcomes an investigation sought by the players union into the medical treatment received by Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts over blood clots.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Wednesday his comfort level for Sunday's first NFL regular-season game in Paris is "very high" despite riots and street violence last weekend across France.

Elon Musk, President Donald Trump's multi-billionaire ally, on Wednesday threatened Democrats who want to investigate alleged corruption and his role in the US government if they win control of Congress next month.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes said his side lacked belief as their woes continued with a humiliating 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como on Wednesday.

In a workshop in the Mexican town of San Salvador Huixcolotla, three men use small hammers and chisels to punch holes in thick sheets of tissue paper ahead of the Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival.

A lawyer for Leopoldo Luque, a doctor charged in the 2020 death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, said in closing arguments Wednesday that his client was innocent and had been made a "scapegoat."

French police said Wednesday that protests would be banned in parts of Paris on Thursday, as France braced for more demonstrations just days after rallies degenerated into some of worst street unrest in years.

Manchester United's struggles deepened with a dismal 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como on Wednesday, piling further pressure on under-fire manager Michael Carrick.

A New Mexico judge ruled Wednesday that Meta must pay $25 billion to the state after a jury found last month that the social media giant had deceived users in a case related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, according to media reports.

United Nations rights experts on Wednesday urged Meta to protect political expression in Brazil's presidential election race, which has become mired in allegations of social media malfeasance.

Champagne winegrowers said Thursday they were dropping a 23-year-old study into expanding the area that can produce France's most famous fizz due to climate change, declining consumption and economic uncertainty.

Government agencies and companies around the world shut down websites Wednesday after two critical flaws came to light involving PHP, a programming language that is the basis for a large share of the internet.

The publisher of acclaimed Haitian-Canadian writer Thelyson Orelien said on Wednesday it had confirmed that he used artificial intelligence to help write his novel "It Was Either That or Die."

A lawyer for Leopoldo Luque, a doctor charged in the 2020 death of Argentine football legend Diego Maradona, declared in closing arguments Wednesday that his client was innocent and had been made a "scapegoat."

US President Donald Trump's pivot away from Ukraine has triggered fresh questions about his attachment to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the man a top American envoy flattered on Wednesday as a "humanitarian."

Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada bowled South Africa to within sight of a series-levelling victory on the fourth day of the second Test at St George's Park on Wednesday.

Mack Hansen has been recalled to Ireland's squad for next month's Nations Championship fixtures after almost a year of injury-enforced exile from international rugby union.

The German economy likely contracted in the third quarter as record low levels on the Rhine river caused by heatwaves and drought hampered goods shipments, the central bank said Wednesday.

Russia is open to resuming trilateral talks with Washington and Kyiv towards ending the Ukraine war, the Kremlin said after Vladimir Putin met US special envoy Steve Witkoff Wednesday, but decried little "substance" in new Ukrainian and European approaches.