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

Springbok scrum-half Faf de Klerk said Thursday his teammates are "well prepared and eager" to get on with this weekend's eagerly awaited Pool B encounter with Ireland in Paris.

The Bank of England on Thursday held interest rates steady, snapping 14 straight hikes following a shock slowdown to UK inflation and one day after the US Federal Reserve also hit pause.

King Charles III on Thursday pledged to do everything he could to strengthen the relationship between France and Britain, suggesting the "indispensable" partners should also team up to tackle the climate emergency.

Azerbaijan and Armenian separatists from the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh held their first direct peace talks Thursday, after Baku claimed to have regained control over the breakaway region in a lightning military operation.

Global stocks sank Thursday after the US Federal Reserve hinted it could hike interest rates again this year to tame inflation and other central banks warned they were not done either.

Turkey's central bank on Thursday raised its key lending rate to a 20-year high following a sudden turn towards conventional economics by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

New Delhi said Thursday it is seeking the reduction of Canadian diplomatic staff in India and has stopped visa services, as a row over the killing of a Sikh separatist deepens.

France's far-right National Rally (RN) party said it has repaid a loan originally from a Czech-Russian bank that political opponents argued demonstrated its ties to the Kremlin.

Global stocks sank Thursday and the dollar rose after the US Federal Reserve hinted it could hike interest rates again this year to tame inflation but sparked economic fears, and as investors awaited a Bank of England monetary policy decision.

King Charles III on Thursday pledged to do everything he could to strengthen the relationship between France and Britain, suggesting the "indispensable" partners could also team up to jointly tackle the climate emergency.

Hayao Miyazaki's celebrated Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli said Thursday it will be acquired by private broadcaster Nippon TV, citing his old age.

Australian captain Pat Cummins said on Thursday he had fully recovered from a wrist injury and hoped to play all three one-day internationals against hosts India starting Friday.

Ukraine on Thursday warned that difficult winter months lay ahead after a "massive" Russian missile barrage targeted civilian infrastructure, leaving several dead and wounded in towns across Ukraine.

Fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala have both been ruled out of the Cricket World Cup because of injury, Cricket South Africa announced on Thursday.

Filipino activists accused President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's government Thursday of carrying out a "witch-hunt" against rights defenders as they held rallies for the 51st anniversary of the imposition of martial law.

Armenian separatists from the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh joined peace talks with Azerbaijan on Thursday, after agreeing to lay down their arms following a lightning Azerbaijani military operation.

Asian and European stocks sank Thursday and the dollar advanced after the US Federal Reserve indicated it could hike interest rates again this year and keep them elevated longer than feared as it struggles to bring inflation to heel.

Beijing's top diplomat told President Vladimir Putin that China and Russia must work to strengthen cooperation in the face of a "complex international situation", Chinese state media reported Thursday.

Azerbaijan has taken advantage of a ripe political moment to bring the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh back under its control, experts say.

"Game of Thrones" author George RR Martin and other best-selling fiction writers have filed a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the tech startup of violating their copyrights to fuel its generative AI chatbot ChatGPT.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz said Thursday he was proud of ending Red Bull's unbeaten streak but "wouldn't be surprised" if they do not lose again this season.

Runaway Formula One leader Max Verstappen said Thursday he felt "no emotion" at seeing his record winning streak end as he looks to bounce back at this week's Japanese Grand Prix.

Top seed Ons Jabeur was sent crashing out of the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open on Wednesday, losing a grueling three-hour battle to Italy's Martina Trevisan.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky makes his second wartime visit to Washington on Thursday in a bid to win fresh aid to fight Russian invaders despite signs of war fatigue among US lawmakers.

Azerbaijan will hold peace talks with Armenian separatists on Thursday, after a swift military victory in the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkey's central bank was expected Thursday to dramatically raise its key interest rate for the second month running following a sudden turn towards conventional economics by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Bank of England is expected to raise its key interest rate for a 15th straight time Thursday but the possibility of a pause has surfaced after a surprise dip in UK inflation.

King Charles III on Thursday follows in his mother Queen Elizabeth II's footsteps by addressing lawmakers in the French upper chamber of parliament on the second day of a visit that has seen him urge stronger ties between the countries.

The 19th Asian Games take place in the Chinese city of Hangzhou from Saturday after a delay of a year caused by China's strict zero-Covid rules.

Some of the finest competitors on the planet will be in action at the Asian Games from Saturday until October 8.

The biggest Asian Games in history, boasting about 12,000 competitors -- more than the Olympics -- will open on Saturday in the Chinese city of Hangzhou after a year's delay because of Covid.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad begins on Thursday his first official trip to China in almost two decades, where he will ask a longtime ally for financial support to help rebuild his devastated country.