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

Virgin Galactic successfully flew its first paying customers to the final frontier Thursday, a long-awaited achievement that puts it back on track in the emerging private spaceflight sector.

France on Thursday charged a policeman with homicide over the fatal shooting of a teen that has left authorities scrambling to contain an escalating crisis and prevent new protest violence.

World cycling chief David Lappartient was on Thursday elected president of the French National Olympic Committee (CNOSF) on the back of a call for unity in the run-in to next year's Paris Games.

Spanish Formula One great Fernando Alonso and his compatriot Carlos Sainz said on Thursday they remain close friends despite the former's Aston Martin car being more competitive with the latter's Ferrari this year.

The UK government on Thursday hailed a decision by ChatGPT creator OpenAI to open its first office outside the United States in London.

An undercover UK policing unit that spied on hundreds of campaign groups over decades should have been shut down as its tactics were unjustified, a report concluded on Thursday.

Cambodian leader Hun Sen, a prolific Facebook user, vowed on Thursday to quit posting on the popular social media platform, days before he launches a re-election campaign.

England hit back with both bat and ball in the second Test at Lord's on Thursday following Steve Smith's latest hundred for Australia.

Virgin Galactic on Thursday officially commenced commercial spaceflights, a major milestone for the company founded in 2004 by British billionaire Richard Branson.

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki announced Thursday she is set to return to professional tennis, three years after retiring to start a family.

Iraqi protesters breached Sweden's embassy in Baghdad on Thursday, angered by a Koran burning outside a Stockholm mosque that sparked condemnation across the Muslim world.

The US Supreme Court on Thursday banned the use of race and ethnicity in university admissions, dealing a major blow to a decades-old practice that boosted educational opportunities for African-Americans and other minorities.

Mykyta lay in a hospital bed with cuts from shrapnel on his face and body after a Russian missile hit the restaurant where he was having dinner in Ukraine's eastern city of Kramatorsk.

Kyiv said Thursday its forces were gaining ground in Donbas, as Moscow claimed it had killed two generals in a missile strike earlier this week -- the same day strikes on a restaurant in east Ukraine killed at least 12 people.

France's top administrative court on Thursday upheld a ban on women football players wearing Islamic hijab headscarves, after the issue was seized on by politicians claiming secularism was at risk.

Stocks diverged Thursday as investors weighed strong US economic data against renewed central bank warnings that interest rates would rise further to tame inflation.

Thousands of people on Thursday took to the streets of a Paris suburb to remember a French teen killed by police during a traffic stop, with protesters led by his mother as anger showed no sign of abating.

Scientists have discovered a genetic variant linked with multiple sclerosis becoming more debilitating over time, in research hailed as a first step towards a new drug.

France on Thursday ordered the mobilisation of tens of thousands of police to prevent a further escalation of violence after two nights of clashes over the killing of a teenager by a policeman.

The UK on Thursday announced its backing for an expanded UN Security Council, including a permanent spot for Africa, to reflect the current and future state of the world.

The UK government said it would challenge a court ruling issued Thursday that blocks its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, a set-back to its controversial bid to cut migrant numbers.

The Kremlin said Thursday that footage, which could not be verified, apparently showing President Vladimir Putin greeting adoring supporters proved that he has "astounding" support after quelling an armed insurrection.

Cycling's Tour de France, with its vast caravan of teams, media, publicity and security, was visible everywhere around the Spanish city of Bilbao Thursday, with riders poised to embark on the epic 21-day race to Paris.

Steve Smith returned to form with a century for Australia, but England hit back to dismiss the tourists for 416 in the second Test at Lord's on Thursday.

US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that stronger regulation and greater agility was required in supervising the banking sector following a string of high-profile failures earlier this year.

Equity markets were mixed Thursday as central bank warnings that interest rates would rise further to counter inflation offset hopes the US economy could avoid a recession.

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday urged calm after 150 people were arrested and public buildings attacked in protests over the police killing of a teenager that has incensed France.

Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations on Thursday condemned the burning of the Koran by an Iraqi living in Sweden, warning such acts "inflame" the feelings of Muslims around the world.

Afghanistan's Taliban government reacted angrily Thursday to Swedish authorities allowing a man to burn a copy of the Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm, calling it "utter contempt towards this noble religion".

Turkmenistan on Thursday inaugurated Arkadag, a $ 5-billion "smart" city built in honour of former strongman leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, cementing one of the most extraordinary personality cults in the world.

France's civil air authority said Thursday it had ordered airlines to cancel flights to and from three airports because of a strike by air traffic controllers.

Cats are considered lucky in Japan, and owners of the popular pets spend big on their care. But how do you know when they're feline down?