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

Soap, wet wipes and children's toys: Irina Burlakova, a 30-year-old Russian woman, picks up humanitarian aid after having fled Shebekino, a border town heavily shelled by Ukraine this week.

Belgium's Thierry Neuville, driving a Hyundai, jumped from fifth to second in the drivers' standings after winning the Rally of Italy in Sardinia on Sunday.

Half a million protesters packed the streets of central Warsaw on Sunday, Poland's opposition organisers said claiming one of the biggest anti-government demonstrations in the 30 years since the end of communism.

Novak Djokovic steps up his bid Sunday for a record 23rd men's Grand Slam singles title against Peruvian outsider Juan Pablo Varillas at the French Open, while world number one Carlos Alcaraz faces a tricky test in Lorenzo Musetti.

Hong Kong police on Sunday detained several key pro-democracy figures attempting to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen crackdown in China.

Ukrainian rescuers outside the city of Dnipro on Sunday recovered the body of a two-year-old girl from the rubble left by a Russian strike on a residential area.

Veteran Scottish actor Brian Cox on Sunday praised striking Hollywood writers as entertainment's "prime forces" -- and revealed he has yet to watch the gripping finale of "Succession".

Nicolas Jarry is making up for lost time at the French Open after his career was briefly derailed by a doping suspension.

The cause of India's deadliest train disaster in decades was linked to the signal system, the railway minister said Sunday, as families scoured hospitals and morgues for missing relatives and deaths were expected to top 288.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has agreed a deal to leave the club, the Spanish giants said Sunday.

Hong Kong police detained a prominent pro-democracy activist and at least seven others on Sunday, the 34th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in China.

Some 54 Ugandan peacekeepers died when militants besieged an African Union base in Somalia last week, Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni said, in one of the worst recent attacks by Al-Shabaab jihadists in the war-torn country.

Prosecutors in southern France opened an investigation on Sunday after a journalist was attacked following a match between Ajaccio and Marseille, the second incident of violence at a French match in as many days.

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has agreed a deal to end his glittering era at the club, the Spanish side said Sunday.

Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia met Sunday to discuss slashing output further in a bid to prop up prices, talks that are seen as tough amid tensions between Riyadh and Moscow.

Badminton women's singles world number two An Se-young smashed home victory at the final of the Thailand Open in Bangkok on Sunday, overcoming China's He Bingjiao.

Some 54 Ugandan peacekeepers died when militants besieged an African Union base in Somalia last week, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said, in one of the worst recent attacks by Al-Shabaab jihadists.

Desperate relatives searched Sunday for loved ones missing after India's worst train disaster in decades, and the death toll was expected to climb above 288 as authorities searched for clues to the cause.

A Nepali guide abandoned his client's Everest summit bid to rescue a Malaysian climber in a deadly mountaineering season that has seen at least twelve deaths.

At a makeshift morgue in an Indian school, a couple scanned photos of disfigured corpses before leaning in for a closer look at one they think is their 22-year-old son.

Hong Kong boosted security around a park Sunday where tens of thousands of people used to gather for an annual memorial of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown, ensuring no protests on the event's 34th anniversary.

Fijian Drua head coach Mick Byrne says guiding the fledgling team to the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals surpasses anything he has achieved in top level sport.

At a red-brick factory in the German port city of Hamburg, cocoa bean shells go in one end, and out the other comes an amazing black powder with the potential to counter climate change.

There are growing signs that major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are considering slashing production further when they meet on Sunday in a bid to prop up prices.

Zach Whitecloud scored the first of three third-period goals for the Vegas Golden Knights in a 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers in game one of the NHL Stanley Cup final in Las Vegas.

Australia's National Rugby League is planning 10 matches in Las Vegas with talks underway for Irish rockers U2 to help promote the game in America, according to media reports on Sunday.

China's defence minister warned Sunday against establishing NATO-like military alliances in the Asia-Pacific, saying they would plunge the region into a "whirlpool" of conflict.

Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati made it five wins in a row with a 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer on Saturday while Julian Carranza scored twice as the Philadelphia Union beat Montreal 3-0.

Authorities were scrambling on Sunday to understand the cause of a three-train collision in India that killed at least 288 people, claiming that "no one responsible" will be spared.

NSW Waratahs coach Darren Coleman said he was "embarrassed" by their defeat to Super Rugby Pacific wooden-spooners Moana Pasifika, with a string of injuries adding to his woes ahead of a daunting quarter-final at Eden Park.

Ever since the poem churning ChatGPT burst on the scene six months ago, expert Gary Marcus has voiced caution against artificial intelligence's ultra-fast development and adoption.

Tensions remained high in Senegal Saturday after clashes brought the death toll to 15 since a court convicted opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.