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

Sudan's paramilitary chief spent the first months of the country's war in the shadows. Now he has emerged to embrace civilian politicians and tour African capitals in a bid for international legitimacy, analysts say.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's election authority has annulled recent election results for three government ministers and four provincial governors, citing fraud and voter intimidation.

UK police have announced they are investigating possible fraud offences committed during Britain's post office scandal, described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

Rescuers and residents sifted through rubble Saturday as their focus turned to recovering bodies and cleaning up rather than finding survivors, five days after a huge earthquake struck central Japan and killed at least 126 people.

Israel bombed southern Gaza early Saturday as the UN warned the besieged Palestinian territory has been rendered "uninhabitable" by three months of war.

Washington's top diplomat discusses the Gaza war with Turkey's mercurial leader on Saturday before flying to Crete to address Greek worries about the looming sale of US fighter jets to Ankara.

World number four Elena Rybakina put on a serving masterclass as she stormed into the Brisbane International women's final Saturday, while top seed Holger Rune battled through to the men's decider.

US Open champion Coco Gauff maintained her imperious form in the lead-up to the Australia Open by dismantling Emma Navarro 6-3, 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Auckland Classic on Saturday.

Rescuers and residents sifted through rubble Saturday as focus turned to recovering bodies and cleaning up rather than finding survivors, five days after a huge earthquake struck central Japan killing at least 110 people.

Twenty-five minutes after the New Year's Day earthquake, a tsunami several metres high barrelled into Shiromaru, leaving a trail of destruction for the Japanese coastal community's mostly elderly residents.

World number four Elena Rybakina put on a serving masterclass as she stormed into the final of the Brisbane International with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Linda Noskova Saturday.

Israel bombed Gaza on Saturday as the United Nations warned the Palestinian territory has become "uninhabitable" after three months of fighting that threatens to engulf the wider region.

The first person to win the FIFA World Cup as both a player and coach, Mario Zagallo was as instrumental a figure as any in Brazil's rise to prominence as a global football power.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek and teammate Hubert Hurkacz swept top seeds Poland into the United Cup final on Saturday with a hard-fought victory over France.

Australian opener David Warner played the last of his 112 Tests to end a glittering and controversal career against Pakistan in Sydney on Saturday.

Israel bombed Gaza on Saturday as the United Nations warned the Palestinian territory has become "uninhabitable" after three months of fighting that threatens to engulf the wider region.

Australia beat Pakistan by eight wickets with David Warner scoring a pulsating 57 in his farewell Test match in Sydney on Saturday to sweep the series 3-0.

Australian opener David Warner drew the curtain on a 112-Test career spanning 12 years Saturday with a swashbuckling 57 against Pakistan, leaving his home Sydney Cricket Ground to a standing ovation.

Rescuers sifted through rubble Saturday as focus turned to recovering bodies rather than finding survivors five days after a huge earthquake struck central Japan, with 98 people now confirmed killed.

David Warner was at the vanguard in his final Test innings with an unbeaten half-century Saturday as Australia closed in on victory over Pakistan on the fourth day of the third Test in Sydney.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will convene Brazil's political bigwigs Monday to mark the first anniversary of the far-right riots that rocked the capital -- but with key absences undermining his message of unity.

Venezuela is due for elections in 2024. But with no date set, incumbent President Nicolas Maduro coy about a reelection bid and his main rival disqualified from running, nothing much is certain.

Donald Trump hits the campaign trail in the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating state of Iowa on Saturday as Americans mark the third anniversary of the deadly assault on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

A white US police officer was sentenced to 14 months in prison Friday over the 2019 death of a young Black man who was put in a police chokehold and injected with ketamine.

US President Joe Biden launched his harshest attack yet on Donald Trump as he kickstarted his 2024 reelection campaign Friday, accusing the Republican of echoing Nazi Germany and posing a threat to democracy.

The US Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear Donald Trump's appeal of a ruling by Colorado's highest court that would keep him off the presidential primary ballot in the western state.

In handcuffs and under police guard, MLB baseball star Wander Franco appeared in court in his native Dominican Republic Friday on charges of abusing a minor.

Pedro Porro's sublime strike fired Tottenham to a hard-fought 1-0 win over stubborn Burnley in the FA Cup third round on Friday.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) sacked Fernando Diniz as coach of the men's national team Friday, a source there said, after a string of lackluster results for the "Selecao" in World Cup qualifying.

New York's attorney general is seeking $370 million from former president Donald Trump in a fraud case which has seen the real estate mogul accused of inflating the value of his properties, court documents showed Friday.

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) sacked Fernando Diniz as coach of the men's national team Friday, a source there said, after a string of lackluster results for the "Selecao" in World Cup qualifying.

Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal admitted Friday he was "a little bit more scared than usual" after a fresh injury headache clouded his build-up to the Australian Open.