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

Dominica is set to create the world's first sperm whale reserve, designating a swath of ocean where large ships and commercial fishing are restricted and visitors can swim alongside the gentle marine giants.

For the children of Beeri kibbutz, overrun by Hamas gunmen when they stormed over the nearby border with Gaza on October 7, there is nothing normal about picking up their studies again.

Manchester United could be without Rasmus Hojlund for a critical Champions League trip to Galatasaray, while Christian Eriksen will be sidelined for a month in the latest injury blow to the Red Devils.

Uruguay's record goalscorer Luis Suarez on Monday received his first call-up under new coach Marcelo Bielsa who named the 36-year-old in his squad to face Argentina this week in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Flags flew at half-mast at UN facilities across the globe Monday including at the body's New York headquarters, as staff stood in silent tribute to the more than 100 colleagues killed in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.

President Joe Biden this week welcomes Pacific Rim allies to San Francisco, where he will also hold a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, part of the US leader's effort to confront Beijing's growing clout.

Hundreds of people stranded in Gaza's biggest hospital were enduring "inhuman" conditions on Monday while heavy fighting raged around them, a doctor said as the Hamas-run health ministry reported a rising patient death toll.

Former US president Donald Trump faced a furious backlash Monday over Veteran's Day weekend remarks branding his political opponents "vermin," as leading scholars and President Joe Biden accused him of parroting Hitler and Mussolini.

Nina Metayer, the first woman to win one of the world's top pastry chef awards, doesn't believe in cutting back on the butter.

British-born human rights activist Joan Jara, the widow of Chilean folksinger Victor Jara murdered by dictatorship agents in 1973, has died aged 96, the foundation she created announced.

Alexander Zverev got off to a winning start in his ATP Finals campaign on Monday by battling back from a set down to beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-4.

Poland's pro-EU parties scored a first win in the new parliament Monday after general elections in October with their candidate elected speaker of the lower house, the country's second most important post.

Six prominent presidential candidates in Madagascar told AFP on Monday they plan to boycott this week's elections, worsening a political crisis engulfing the country.

Alexander Zverev got off to a winning start in his ATP Finals campaign on Monday by battling back from a set down to beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-4.

A new spell of rain in northern France on Monday forced school closures and brought fears of fresh misery after devastating floods hit the department of Pas-de-Calais last week.

Protecting forests globally could vastly increase the amount of carbon they sequester, a new study finds, but given our current emissions track, does it really matter?

Emirates announced a bumper order of 95 planes and flydubai snapped up 30 wide-bodied aircraft as US manufacturer Boeing did brisk business on day one of the Dubai Airshow on Monday.

The hospitals in northern Gaza were no longer functioning amid fuel shortages and intense combat, with the death toll inside the territory's largest facility rising, the Hamas-run health ministry said Monday.

President Joe Biden will urge his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo to take a larger role in resolving the Israel-Hamas conflict in talks at the White House on Monday, US officials said.

Nations grappling with the plastic "suffocating" nature and leaching into food and the human body began fresh negotiations on Monday toward a UN treaty to tackle the growing problem.

Wall Street edged lower on Monday while European stocks recovered from heavy selling last week as traders awaited key US inflation data, with many still concerned the Federal Reserve could lift interest rates again.

Lockie Ferguson insisted New Zealand's rocky road to a World Cup semi-final against in-form India in Mumbai on Wednesday was of no concern as "we all start from zero again".

Thousands of people lined the streets of Manchester on Monday to pay their final respects to Manchester United and England great Bobby Charlton, who died last month at the age of 86.

Former UK leader David Cameron sensationally returned to the British government as foreign secretary on Monday, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shook up his top team with a general election looming next year.

Emirates announced a bumper order of 95 planes and flydubai snapped up 30 wide-bodied aircraft as home-grown airlines unveiled big orders on day one of the Dubai Airshow on Monday.

Around 100 climate campaign groups warned COP28 organisers Monday that success of critical upcoming talks in Dubai rests on whether countries can negotiate a formal agreement to replace polluting fossil fuels with clean power.

Nepal said Monday it will ban TikTok, citing the app's negative effects on the country's social harmony.

Flags flew at half-mast at UN compounds across the globe Monday, as staff observed a minute's silence for the more than 100 colleagues killed in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.

Egypt captain Mohamed Salah reached 200 goals in English football with a double in second-placed Liverpool's 3-0 win against Brentford at the weekend.

At a munitions factory in northeast England run by BAE Systems, production is running at full speed thanks to the war in Ukraine and an increasingly dark outlook for geopolitics.

Asian and European stock markets climbed Monday as traders awaited this week's key US inflation data, with traders still concerned the Federal Reserve could lift interest rates again.

German auto supplier Continental said Monday it will cut thousands of jobs to reduce costs, at a time the sector is facing severe headwinds.