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

A celebrity-studded "Almost Naked" party in Moscow's famed Mutabor nightclub has drawn outrage from Russia's political establishment, which has become increasingly po-faced since the assault on Ukraine.

A Moscow court on Thursday sentenced a poet to seven years in prison for reciting verses against the Ukraine campaign during an anti-mobilisation protest last year.

American ski superstar Mikaela Shiffrin extended her lead in the overall standings as she won a record-extending 92nd World Cup race on Thursday, easing to victory in the giant slalom at Lienz.

India lost three wickets after conceding a first innings lead of 163 runs on the third day of the first Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday.

A French star chef has abruptly quit his luxury hotel job after a hazing in which a kitchen hand was reportedly tied up naked and humiliated, the hotel chain said Thursday.

Bayern Munich striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is the notable absentee from Cameroon's Africa Cup of Nations squad unveiled by head coach Rigobert Song on Thursday.

Marco Schwarz's bid for the overall World Cup title suffered a major setback when he failed to finish in the men's downhill in Bormio on Thursday, leaving Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin to pull off a surprise win.

European stock markets dipped Thursday with recent profits banked on the penultimate trading day of the year.

A Moscow court on Thursday sentenced two men to long prison terms for reading poems against the assault on Ukraine.

Vietnam's Ha Long Bay is losing its famous turquoise hue as pollution and over-development threaten its wildlife and picture-perfect image.

Dean Elgar and Marco Jansen shared a century partnership and stretched South Africa's lead on the third day of the first Test against India at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Thursday.

Turkey's parliament is unlikely to hold a full vote on Sweden's bid to join NATO before mid-January, parliamentary sources told AFP Thursday.

Britain on Thursday lifted some costly obstacles placed on school trips post Brexit -- but only for students from France as campaigners called for all EU countries to benefit.

Israeli forces on Thursday heavily bombed besieged Gaza as the centre of fierce combat against Hamas moves steadily south, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

The Israeli embassy in South Korea has removed a video showing an imaginary scenario in which Koreans are attacked by masked assailants in Seoul, a reference to Hamas, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

Mitchell Marsh hit a counter-attacking 96 in a fighting rescue mission with a dogged Steve Smith Thursday to help Australia build a 241-run lead and regain control of the second Test against Pakistan.

Asian stocks were largely higher on Thursday, with Hong Kong leading the gains as investors worked on expectations the US Federal Reserve will cut rates next year.

Kenya's most lauded sculptor, Elkana Ong'esa, has seen his gigantic stone creations displayed across the globe, but feels African art still deserves greater recognition at home and abroad.

In the kitchen of his Abidjan restaurant, Ivory Coast chef Charlie Koffi prepares his country's staggering tropical bounty with the techniques of fine French cuisine. And he's far from alone.

Cleveland's Caris LeVert made the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:03 to play as the Cavaliers rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks 113-110 on Wednesday.

Israeli forces pressed on with intensified attacks in the Gaza Strip's biggest southern city and a central refugee camp, after the territory's Hamas-run health ministry reported more than 21,000 people had been killed in 11 weeks of war.

Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith led an Australian fightback after the hosts slumped to 16-4 against a fired-up Pakistan on Thursday to build their lead to 161 at tea on day three of the second Test.

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min was named in South Korea's Asian Cup squad on Thursday and coach Jurgen Klinsmann said it was "about time" they ended their 64-year continental title drought.

Top Mexican and US officials said that they made progress Wednesday in emergency talks on curbing a surge in migration, which has become a major headache for President Joe Biden as he enters an election year.

India's government has recently targeted high-profile journalists with Pegasus spyware, Amnesty International and The Washington Post said in a joint investigation published Thursday.

Asian stocks opened largely higher on Thursday, with Hong Kong leading the gains as investors worked on expectations the US Federal Reserve will cut rates next year.

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min was named in South Korea's Asian Cup squad on Thursday as coach Jurgen Klinsmann aims to end the country's 64-year continental title drought.

Six lapel pins bearing the Civic Party's founding date are all Hong Kong veteran politician Alan Leong kept when the once-prominent opposition group cleared its headquarters and shuttered its doors days before the new year.

More than two decades after bursting on the scene, the sun is setting on Rafael Nadal's storied career with the Spanish gladiator hoping his creaking body can hold up long enough to see out the season.

Australia lost Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne in quick succession as a defiant Pakistan battled hard to stay in the second Test Thursday after Pat Cummins took five wickets to dismiss them for 264.

In northeast Colombia, police guard warehouses stacked high with confiscated timber with a noble new destiny: transformation into homes for bees beleaguered by pesticides and climate change.

Tough times ahead for Argentina's new President Javier Milei, continued war in Gaza, and an Uruguay-Argentina 2024 Copa America final: Peru's shamans made their annual predictions Wednesday for the year ahead.