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

Paraguay's President Santiago Pena will attend the inauguration of Taiwan's new leader, a high-ranking government official said Thursday, making him the first head of state to confirm his presence at the ceremony.

Human relationships are inherently shaped by power dynamics, yet quantifying their impact has remained a scientific challenge.

US President Joe Biden's administration formally proposed on Thursday reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, a historic shift that would bring federal policy more in line with public opinion.

An early entry in the Cannes film competition has taken Cannes spectators down a dark path of unwanted motherhood to a shop of horrors with a serial killer twist.

Xander Schauffele matched the lowest round in major golf history on Thursday, firing a nine-under-par 62 to seize the early lead on the opening day of the PGA Championship.

Xander Schauffele matched the lowest round in major golf history on Thursday, firing a nine-under-par 62 to seize the early lead on the opening day of the PGA Championship.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was able to speak but remained in serious condition on Thursday, officials said as police charged a suspect for the attack they called politically motivated.

England's Luke Shaw is a major doubt for Euro 2024 after Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said the defender was struggling to be involved in the FA Cup final.

Iga Swiatek won her 11th straight clay-court match on Thursday as the top seed moved closer to another record with a 6-4, 6-3 semi-final defeat of Coco Gauff at the Rome Open, after Tommy Paul earlier survived a chaotic ending to emerge victorious from his quarter-final encounter with Hubert Hurkacz.

US lawmakers attacked the head of a top financial regulator for a second consecutive day on Thursday over his agency's failure to deal with workplace misconduct, including discrimination and sexual harassment.

A Nigerian state lawmaker's plan to sponsor the marriage of 100 brides orphaned by violence has sparked a row over religious and cultural norms and calls for the courts to intervene.

Ukraine said Thursday it was trying to "stabilise" the front line in the northeast Kharkiv region, where Moscow has made its largest territorial gains in 18 months after launching a fast-moving offensive last week.

Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe got back winning after an injury-plagued two years with a commanding victory in the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday.

Languishing behind bars since 2016, Selahattin Demirtas has waged a relentless battle against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while profoundly expanding the national appeal of his leftist pro-Kurdish party.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri received a two-match Italian Cup suspension on Thursday after being shown a red card during his side's victory in this season's final.

Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton offered an upbeat view on Mercedes' future prospects on Thursday when he said the team had finally found their "North Star" in the prolonged effort to develop their car.

Donald Trump's lawyers took another stab Thursday at his former fixer Michael Cohen, the key witness in the trial in which the former president is accused of fraudulently covering up his alleged encounter with a porn star.

Henry Slade has given English rugby a boost by signing a new contract that will keep the Test centre with Premiership side Exeter.

Porto Alegre, the Brazilian metropolis left submerged after torrential rains, had been lulled into a "false sense" of security by a vast but aging system of flood defenses, an urban drainage engineer told AFP.

Rory McIlroy battled through an epic test of emotional resilience to stay in contention early in Thursday's first round of the PGA Championship but Xander Schauffele showed his own perseverence to seize the lead.

Richard Krajcik was hoping to get a selfie with Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico in the main square of his hometown of Handlova when shots rang out.

Formula One design guru Adrian Newey says he will probably join a rival team after announcing his intention to leave reigning world champions Red Bull.

Walmart reported higher profits Thursday behind solid gains at US stores as the retail giant pointed to increased purchases by wealthier shoppers and improving e-commerce sales.

A new exhibition opens this week tracing a century of British royal portrait photography, from the official coronation image of King Charles III to an intimate portrait of his late aunt Princess Margaret.

Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe won the 12th stage of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday after a 126km breakaway as Slovenian Tadej Pogacar kept the race lead.

Generations of schoolchildren have grown up being taught that Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti was the first woman to drive a car in Nigeria.

Israel vowed Thursday to "intensify" its ground offensive in Rafah, in defiance of global warnings over the fate of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians sheltering in Gaza's far-southern city.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is able to speak Thursday but is still in a "difficult condition" a day after his shooting, officials said, as police charged a suspect in the attack they said was politically motivated.

Scientists have discovered a long-buried branch of the Nile river that once flowed alongside more than 30 pyramids in Egypt, potentially solving the mystery of how ancient Egyptians transported the massive stone blocks to build the famous monuments.

Queen's Club will host London's first tour-level women's event in more than 50 years in 2025, British tennis chiefs announced on Thursday.

Tommy Paul reached a clay court semi-final for the first time in his career on Thursday with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 upset of Hubert Hurkacz at the ATP-WTA Italian Open.

France saw a sharp rise in anti-LGBTQ incidents in 2023, according to a report published by the French interior ministry on Thursday, an increase activists warn marks a worrying trend in the country.