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

Australia captain Pat Cummins admitted the five-time champions were "hurting" after suffering a 134-run loss to South Africa on Thursday, their heaviest World Cup defeat.

The UN Human Rights Council on Thursday extended the mandate of its rapporteur on rights violations in Russia by a year, in a second diplomatic defeat for Moscow in three days.

Delta Air Lines reported surging quarterly earnings amid persistently strong demand, while acknowledging a drag from strikes in the US auto and entertainment sectors.

Stock markets stalled and oil prices limited gains Thursday while tracking the Israel-Hamas conflict, amid latest data showing US consumer inflation data holding steady in September.

Like clockwork, every 30 seconds Israeli artillery goes into action against a barely visible target somewhere in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Quinton de Kock hit his second successive century at the World Cup on Thursday as South Africa sent five-time champions Australia crashing to a 134-run defeat.

Zambia has signed a long-sought debt deal with its foreign lenders, the IMF's chief announced Thursday, providing financial relief to the first African nation to default after the Covid pandemic.

When France head coach Fabien Galthie names his team on Friday to face South Africa in this weekend's much-anticipated Rugby World Cup quarter-final, every onlooker’s attention will be on who he picks at scrum-half.

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday suspended Russia's national Olympic body with "immediate effect" for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine's membership by recognising illegally annexed territories.

Elon Musk's social media platform "X" has defended itself against claims from the European Union that it is failing to tackle disinformation around the Gaza-Israel conflict.

In its bloody assault on Israel, Hamas was aiming to break a stalemate in Gaza, analysts say, but with its neighbour now determined to eradicate the Islamist group, it may have made a fatal mistake.

Foes Armenia and Azerbaijan crossed swords at the UN's top court Thursday, as Yerevan accused Baku of "ethnic cleansing" in Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking a furious response from the Azerbaijani side over the "unfounded" charges.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has railed against critics of the World Cup draw which has set up a lop-sided quarter-final line-up with the world's four top-ranked teams on one side.

Italian prosecutors called Thursday for journalist Roberto Saviano to be fined 10,000 euros in a defamation case brought by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after he criticised her stance on migrants.

Next year's Grand National will have a maximum of 34 runners after the field size was reduced as part of new safety measures.

The International Olympic Committee on Thursday suspended Russia's national Olympic body with "immediate effect" for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine's membership.

Argentina coach Michael Cheika has made two changes to his starting XV to play against Wales in the World Cup quarter-final in Marseille on Saturday, bringing in Facundo Isa at No 8 to compensate for the loss through injury of Pablo Matera.

Cricket crazy fans desperate to witness Saturday's World Cup blockbuster between India and Pakistan will sleep in hospitals, a source told AFP, rather than hotels where some prices have been hiked by up to 10 times their standard rates.

On a normally quiet street, two men lie dead surrounded by blood and bullet casings, the latest victims of a series of executions that have become a daily affair in Ecuador's port city of Guayaquil.

Stock markets were edgy while oil prices rose Thursday tracking the Israel-Hamas conflict, as latest data showed US consumer inflation data holding steady in September.

The young offspring of a frog native to Southeast Asia display an "unusual colour pattern", probably to camouflage themselves "as animal droppings" to escape predators, according to a study.

Sebastian Korda reached his first Masters semi-final as he battled back to tame fast-rising fellow American Ben Shelton 6-7 (10/12), 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in Shanghai on Thursday.

Elon Musk's social media platform X has defended itself against claims from the European Union that it is failing to tackle disinformation around the violence in Israel and Gaza.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak softening the pace of Britain's net-zero agenda will make its targets harder to achieve while costing people more, his own government's climate advisers said Thursday.

Gibraltar votes on Thursday in a tight election which could affect talks on a deal settling the tiny British overseas territory's ties with the European Union following Brexit.

A Kenyan court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit challenging a government decision to allow the importation and cultivation of genetically modified crops to help combat its food crisis.

The war between Israel and Hamas has cast a shadow over the IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Morocco, with warnings Thursday that it has darkened the outlook for an already sluggish global economy.

Consumer inflation held steady in the United States last month, according to government data released Thursday, giving policymakers some reprieve in their battle to tamp down price increases.

South Africa assistant coach Felix Jones said on Thursday it was up to the Springboks to limit the impact of France captain Antoine Dupont on the Rugby World Cup quarter-final.

Jockey Frankie Dettori has ditched plans to retire from horse racing, announcing on Thursday that he will continue his career in the United States

Quinton de Kock hit his second successive century at the World Cup on Thursday as South Africa made 311-7 in their group game against five-time champions Australia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed on a visit to Israel Thursday that the United States will "always" back it but said the Palestinians also have "legitimate aspirations" not represented by militant group Hamas.