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

World number two Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out of the Paris Masters by 18th-ranked Ugo Humbert of France who swept to a third round victory in three sets on Thursday.

The UN rapporteur on environmental defenders on Thursday urged Azerbaijan to free Anar Mammadli, saying his detention seemed aimed at silencing climate advocates ahead of November's COP29 summit.

City of Troy is the early favorite to give Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien a long-sought Breeders' Cup Classic victory on Saturday, but the turf superstar must make a seamless transition to the dirt track at Del Mar to triumph in a talent-laden field.

The United States said Thursday that up to 8,000 North Korean troops have reached Russia's border region with Ukraine trained and ready for combat, as Pyongyang's firing of a long-range missile ramped up tensions days before the US election.

Donald Trump found himself at the center of a firestorm Thursday over sexist comments he made at a campaign rally -- the latest in a string of lewd and contemptuous comments about women from the former president and his surrogates.

Divers plunged into the river while high-mountain police hot-footed through the rubble in a rush to find five residents of the hamlet of Letur missing after Spain's apocalyptic floods.

Lando Norris believes Max Verstappen knows "deep down" that he did wrong and has to change his driving style after collecting two 10-second penalties for his aggressive approach during last Sunday's Mexico City Grand Prix.

Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati used to watch Lionel Messi winning Ballon d'Or trophies and think it was "incredible" but now she has won two herself, she is taking it in her stride.

European officials pointed Thursday to devastating flooding in Spain as a reminder of the self-harming effects of humans' destruction of nature, urging delegates at a deadlocked UN biodiversity conference in Colombia to "act."

A defiant Max Verstappen refused to accept or discuss critics of his driving on Thursday, claiming he does not "listen to those individuals" and accused them of being biased.

The African Union's health watchdog on Thursday warned that mpox outbreak was still not under control and appealed for resources to avoid a "more severe" pandemic than Covid-19.

Spain mourned at least 158 deaths on Thursday and authorities told people in flood-stricken regions to stay at home as rescuers raced to find survivors in the rare disaster.

OpenAI on Thursday beefed up its ChatGPT generative AI chatbot with search engine capabilities, as the startup takes on Google's decades-long dominance of web search.

The United States said Thursday that up to 8,000 North Korean troops have reached Russia's border region with Ukraine ready for combat, after Pyongyang's firing of a long-range missile ramped up tensions days before the US election.

Lewis Hamilton believes Lando Norris can still catch and beat defending three-time world champion Max Verstappen to the title this year thanks to the performance of his McLaren car and team.

Stefanos Tsitsipas said he felt like a "bull" as he kept alive his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Tour Finals, battling back from a set down to beat Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2 at the Paris Masters on Thursday.

England captain Jamie George said he "loved the history" of the haka after Test colleague Joe Marler urged New Zealand to ditch their pre-game ritual just days before the teams meet at Twickenham.

More than 400 women and witnesses have come forward in the past six weeks alleging sexual misconduct by late Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, UK lawyers announced on Thursday.

Strikes hit near east Lebanon's main city of Baalbek and close to the southern city of Tyre on Thursday, state media said, after Israel issued evacuation calls for both areas.

Ruud van Nistelrooy says he is "motivated" to help turn Manchester United's season around and wants to stay at the club as he prepares the players for a high-profile match against Chelsea on Sunday.

A quiet town in one of Spain's wealthiest regions was a mud-covered hellscape of destroyed buildings, upturned vehicles and bewildered citizens trying to piece back together their lives on Thursday.

Georgia's pro-Western opposition parties called on Thursday for fresh protests after officials said a partial recount confirmed the ruling party won contested parliamentary elections, with Washington and Brussels demanding an investigation.

Kamala Harris clapped back Thursday at Donald Trump over what she called his "very offensive" remarks about women, returning reproductive rights to the fore as the rivals took their knife-edge White House race to western battleground states.

Global stocks slid Thursday as investors digested disappointing tech results and remained risk-adverse ahead of a coin-toss US election.

Kamala Harris clapped back Thursday at Donald Trump over what she called his "very offensive" remarks about women, returning reproductive rights to the fore as the rivals take their knife-edge White House race to western battleground states.

Stefanos Tsitsipas kept alive his slim hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals, battling back from a set down to beat Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2 in the third round of the Paris Masters on Thursday.

Turkish opposition parties protested Thursday against what they said was the politically-motivated arrest of an opposition mayor for alleged links to the banned Kurdish PKK militant group.

Greenhouse gas emissions in the EU fell by eight percent in 2023 -- among the biggest drops in decades -- new data showed Thursday, though the bloc remains in a race against time to meet its ambitious climate goals.

Billionaire Elon Musk dodged a Philadelphia court hearing on Thursday after asking to move a lawsuit seeking to halt his $1 million giveaways to registered US voters from state to federal court.

Beauden Barrett will start for New Zealand against England at Twickenham on Saturday, linking up with brother Jordie in a fly-half/inside centre partnership for the first time in a Test.

Powerful storms turbo-charged by a warming planet, poor urban planning and carelessness combined with catastrophic consequences in Spain's deadliest floods in a generation, experts told AFP.

In an extraordinary twist that has upended an already unpredictable election, the world's richest man has become Donald Trump's most influential supporter in his bid to return to the White House.