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

Kuldeep Yadav took five wickets to bundle out England for 218, with India's batsmen starting strongly on a dominant opening day for the hosts in the fifth Test on Thursday.

Norwegian skier Lucas Braathen, last season's World Cup slalom champion, revealed Thursday he will represent his mother's country Brazil next season after a dispute with his national federation.

It's been two weeks since the lifting of tough sanctions on military-ruled Niger, but the pace of economic recovery is slow and the generals have shown no inclination to re-open the border with Benin and seek a diplomatic settlement with neighbouring nations.

German airline giant Lufthansa warned Thursday about the "damaging" impact of a wave of industrial action at the start of this year, as it reported 2023 profits doubled on booming demand.

Spanish fashion retailer Mango, founded 40 years ago in Barcelona, is ramping its global expansion despite economic uncertainties that have shaken some other global mass-market apparel giants.

Mediators struggled on Thursday to reach a truce in Israel's war with Hamas that entered its sixth month with dozens more killed, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory threatened by famine.

The conservative European People's Party (EPP) -- the biggest force in the EU parliament -- is expected on Thursday to formally support European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen's bid for a second term.

A rare early work by Vincent van Gogh and a record-selling masterpiece by Wassily Kandinsky will be up for sale when one of the world's largest art fairs opens its doors this weekend.

Scotland scrum-half George Horne has been handed a surprise start for Saturday's Six Nations clash in Italy, with regular No 9 Ben White not even in the matchday 23.

Her three-year-old daughter at her side, single mother Ekawati plies Jakarta's notorious traffic in her three-wheeled autorickshaw, making ends meet as one of a growing number of Indonesian women seeking informal employment outside the home.

Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin shared nine wickets between them as India bowled out England for 218 on day one of the fifth Test on Thursday.

Like many in Senegal's isolated deaf community, 52-year-old Mame Massar Faye has always struggled to vote by himself.

India spinner Kuldeep Yadav took five wickets including Zak Crawley for 79 to leave England 194-8 at tea, in the fifth and final Test on Thursday.

France and the UN Environment Programme co-host a two-day conference starting Thursday to find ways to cut the sizeable carbon footprint of the construction sector, a major contributor to climate change.

Equities were mixed on Thursday as investors try to assess the Federal Reserve's plans for interest rates after boss Jerome Powell indicated they would start to come down this year.

Visitors will be banned from entering private alleys in Kyoto's famous geisha district, a local representative said on Thursday, as the ancient city tackles overtourism after the pandemic.

Under the blazing Kenyan sun, Maasai women patrol the vast plains in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, determined to tackle poachers and patriarchal prejudices.

The world's most popular AI tools are powered by programs from OpenAI and Meta that show prejudice against women, according to a study launched on Thursday by the UN's cultural organisation UNESCO.

Ireland votes on Friday on constitutional references to the family and women's role in the home after campaigns that have honed in on vague wording, "mansplaining" and panic over polygamy.

Hundreds of thousands of passengers in Germany faced travel misery Thursday as rail and airport workers stage new strikes to back demands for higher wages.

German airline giant Lufthansa more than doubled its profits in 2023, extending a rebound from the coronavirus pandemic even as it faces fresh risks from a wave of industrial action.

The United States beat Canada 3-1 on penalties after their CONCACAF women's Gold Cup semi-final ended 2-2 after extra-time, to reach the final of the CONCACAF women's Gold Cup where they will face Brazil.

Stephen Curry scored 29 points as the Golden State Warriors bounced back from their catastrophic defeat in Boston to rout the Milwaukee Bucks 125-90 on Wednesday.

German airline giant Lufthansa said Thursday it had doubled profits in 2023 on booming demand, as the aviation sector extends a rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.

China described the war in Gaza as a "disgrace to civilisation" and called on Thursday for an immediate ceasefire as the conflict stretched into its sixth month despite efforts by mediators to reach a truce.

US President Joe Biden faces one of the most critical moments of his political career Thursday with a State of the Union speech aimed at convincing skeptical voters the 81-year-old is fit to beat Donald Trump in November's election.

China's exports sharply accelerated in the first two months of 2024, official figures showed Thursday, providing policymakers a bright spot as they battle to revive the world's second-largest economy.

China's foreign minister gave a rare press conference to foreign media on Thursday, outlining Beijing's positions on major global issues as it holds annual political meetings known as the Two Sessions.

The Dalai Lama, wrapped in red and yellow robes, urged chanting monks and nuns in his latest public prayers to help heal the world with their "compassionate heart".

Hong Kong's appeal court lowered the bar for sedition convictions on Thursday in a ruling expected to affect ongoing trials of news outlets and the government's new national security law.

Tests on generative AI tools found some continue to allow the creation of deceptive images related to political candidates and voting, an NGO warned in a report Wednesday, amid a busy year of high-stake elections around the world.

A Korean-Canadian director's debut feature film -- a quiet romance exploring time, longing and lost chances -- has arrived in South Korea for theatre release after garnering two Oscar nominations.