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

California authorities took a major step forward Thursday in expanding driverless taxi services in San Francisco, giving the green light for operators Waymo and Cruise to compete with ride-share services and cabs.

West African leaders have approved the deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger, an intervention that will take place as soon as possible, Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said Thursday.

A terrifying wildfire that scorched a historic Hawaiian town and left it in charred ruins has killed at least 53 people, authorities said Thursday, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the US state's history.

Asian markets mostly fell Friday as a below-forecast US inflation reading boosted hopes the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates next month but did little to dispel fears it could hike later in the year.

Iga Swiatek, unfazed by two lengthy rain delays, held off Karolina Muchova 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA Montreal Open on Thursday.

Under mountains that dagger the sky, a misfit caravan of Pakistani porters trudge towards K2 toting live chickens and lawn furniture for adventurers seeking an audience with the world's second-highest peak.

Mathieu van der Poel could complete an historic treble on Saturday when he attempts to add the mountain bike world title to his current road race and cyclo-cross crowns.

Carlos Alcaraz passed a tiebreak test on Thursday as the top seed squeezed into the Toronto Masters quarter-finals with a 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/3) victory over Hubert Hurkacz.

British veteran Andy Murray withdrew from his last 16 clash with Italy's Jannik Sinner at the ATP Toronto Masters on Thursday, citing an abdominal strain.

There is no actual evidence that William Webb Ellis "picked up the ball and ran" during a game of football at Rugby School but that has not prevented a legend building up around him.

Athletes flex muscled biceps before going hand-to-hand in a newly televised arm-wrestling league seeking to take the sporting spotlight in otherwise cricket-mad India with a glitzy Bollywood-style makeover.

Colombia coach Nelson Abadia is treating their Women's World Cup clash on Saturday against England like a chess game, confident his side's strength of character will carry them through to the semi-finals.

Four months into a battle both believed they would win, Sudan's army has lost its grip on Khartoum to paramilitaries, who are unable to declare victory and instead are accused of waging war on civilians.

The United States is set to roll out a powerful new weapon in the long fight against sexually transmitted infections: a decades-old antibiotic repurposed as a preventative pill.

The death toll from a terrifying wildfire that razed a historic Hawaiian town hit 53 Thursday, making it one of the deadliest disasters to strike the islands since they became a US state.

Russia launched its first probe to the Moon in almost 50 years on Friday, a mission designed to give fresh impetus to its space sector, which has been struggling for years and become isolated by the conflict in Ukraine.

Jordan Spieth grabbed a one stroke lead after the first round of the St. Jude Championship in Memphis on Thursday, making a strong start to the opening event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The death toll from a terrifying wildfire that razed a historic Hawaiian town is expected to rise "very significantly", the state's governor said Thursday, with 36 people already known to have perished.

Daniil Medvedev's hardcourt mastery continued Thursday with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Lorenzo Musetti at the ATP Toronto Masters.

West African leaders have approved the deployment of a "standby force to restore constitutional order" in Niger, an intervention that will take place as soon as possible, Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara said Thursday.

The US Supreme Court threw Purdue Pharma's $6 billion opioids settlement into question Thursday, accepting a challenge to the deal's immunizing the Sackler family, which controlled the drugmaker, from future litigation.

Phil Mickelson has placed bets worth a total of more than $1 billion during his career, including a $400,000 wager on the outcome of the 2012 Ryder Cup, according to excerpts from a forthcoming book published in US media on Thursday.

Third-seeded Casper Ruud came up just short in his bid to battle past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina Thursday, falling 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) to the unseeded Spaniard at the ATP Toronto Masters.

Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto announced on Thursday that it will begin construction of the largest solar power plant in northern Canada on the site of its Diavik diamond mine.

Violence in Cape Town eased after a week-long minibus taxi strike that paralysed the city and left five dead including a British tourist, police confirmed on Thursday.

Australian star Nick Kyrgios has withdrawn from this month's US Open as he works his way back from injury, organizers said Thursday.

Fourth-seeded American Jessica Pegula grabbed the first quarter-final berth at the WTA Montreal Open on Thursday with a crisp 6-4, 6-0 victory over Jasmine Paolini.

West African leaders on Thursday increased their threat of imminent military action against Niger after the country's coup's leaders moved to consolidate their control two weeks after seizing power.

The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi defeated a no-confidence motion in parliament on Thursday after a fiery speech by the premier at the climax of a three-day debate.

Henry Arundell has been told to "trust his instincts" by England coach Steve Borthwick when the 20-year-old rising star faces Wales in a Rugby World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham on Saturday.

Ecuador was under a state of emergency Thursday after the assassination of a popular presidential candidate just days before an election dominated by concerns over the once-peaceful country's descent into brutal violence linked to drug trafficking.

Hollywood's writers' union will return to the bargaining table this week after studios requested a meeting to explore ways to end the ongoing strike, the guild said Thursday.