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

Rory McIlroy says golf ball rules announced on Wednesday aimed at taming the biggest hitters will bring certain "skills" back to the sport and make it more entertaining.

A plastic sheet rigged up as a tent, branches gathered from here and there to make a fire -- at the southern tip of Gaza, displaced Palestinians are settling in as best they can.

Rwanda on Wednesday warned that it would pull out of a treaty to accept migrants if the UK does not respect international law, as hardliners in London turned the screw on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

A man suspected of stabbing a German tourist to death near the Eiffel Tower was charged on Wednesday with carrying out a terror attack, his lawyer told AFP.

Manchester City's injured midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was a surprise inclusion in the treble winners' squad for the FIFA Club World Cup on Wednesday.

The United Nations cultural agency on Wednesday declared Peruvian ceviche -- an ancient marinated seafood dish -- part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage.

Golf's biggest hitters are expected to lose up to 15 yards in driving distance under new rules relating to ball specifications announced by the game's governing bodies on Wednesday.

Kristen Stewart is among several Hollywood stars heading to next month's Sundance festival. But artificial intelligence -- the subject of, and technology behind, several new films -- could steal the show.

The United States is imposing sanctions on 15 Mexican individuals accused of involvement in importing fentanyl into the country, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday, as Washington seeks to further the fight against the deadly substance.

A man suspected of stabbing a German tourist to death near the Eiffel Tower appeared before a French judge on Wednesday with a view to being charged with carrying out a terror attack, prosecutors said.

A UK watchdog on Wednesday banned three online adverts from airlines Air France, Etihad Airways and Lufthansa for "misleading" claims over their environmental impact.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Saudi Arabia Wednesday after visiting the United Arab Emirates, making a rare trip abroad as Moscow seeks to reassert itself on the global stage.

Britain's hardline former interior minister Suella Braverman on Wednesday issued Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak an ultimatum to get tougher on immigration or face certain wipeout at the polls.

Canada's central bank on Wednesday held its key lending rate at five percent, citing the global economic slowdown and easing inflation.

Global equities rose Wednesday with Frankfurt striking a record peak, as investors tracked resurgent hopes of interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve.

Boris Johnson apologised Wednesday for "the pain and the loss and the suffering" caused by the Covid-19 pandemic but defended his government at a public inquiry into its handling of the crisis.

The United States is imposing sanctions on 15 Mexican individuals accused of involvement in importing fentanyl into the country, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday, as Washington seeks to further the fight against the deadly substance.

The International Surf Association (ISA) said on Wednesday it welcomed the decision by authorities to suspend work on the venue in Tahiti for the Paris Olympics events.

Sean Dyche has warned his Everton players to ignore their relegation rivals' results as they battle to climb out of the bottom three.

Israeli forces on Wednesday battled Hamas militants in Gaza's main southern city, leading to "deepening horror" for civilians, the UN said, after nearly two months of war sparked by deadly attacks on Israel.

The United States charged four pro-Russian soldiers with war crimes on Wednesday for the abduction and torture of an American national in Ukraine.

Beach lovers were able to take a dip in New Caledonia's capital Noumea for the first time in months Wednesday, after the French Pacific territory installed a controversial net to keep sharks out.

Authoritarian states are increasingly targeting journalists working in exile as part of government reprisal campaigns against dissidents living outside their countries, US-based rights group Freedom House said in a new report Wednesday.

Ukraine faces growing diplomatic headwinds after its summer counter-offensive against Russia's forces faltered, with aid from vital backers in the United States and EU being increasingly called into question.

Google on Wednesday infused its Bard chatbot with a new-generation artificial intelligence model called Gemini, which it touts as being able to reason better than ChatGPT and other rivals.

A man suspected of stabbing a German tourist to death near the Eiffel Tower was to appear before a French judge on Wednesday with a view to being charged with carrying out a terror attack, a source close to the case said.

Italy's governing right-wing parties on Wednesday scuppered an attempt by the opposition to introduce a minimum wage, which would have brought the country into line with the majority of the EU.

The US trade deficit continued to grow in October due to a fall in exports, according to government data published Wednesday.

Hiring in the US private sector eased in November, as the post-pandemic boom in restaurant and hotel employment moderated, payroll firm ADP said Wednesday.

The European Union will seek to thrash out an agreement on sweeping rules to regulate artificial intelligence on Wednesday, following months of difficult negotiations in particular on how to monitor generative AI applications like ChatGPT.

Global equities rose Wednesday with Frankfurt striking a record peak, as investors tracked resurgent hopes of interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank and the US Federal Reserve.

The Emirati head of UN climate talks faced growing pressure Wednesday to steer nations towards a consensus as negotiators sparred over the thorny issue of fossil fuels.