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

US sprint star Christian Coleman took first place in his 100-metre debut after returning from a ban for breaching anti-doping rules, clocking a "pretty decent" 10.09sec in Tokyo on Sunday.

More than 60,000 security forces in the Philippines were on alert Sunday to safeguard ballots and polling stations on the eve of the presidential election, after police reported four people killed in an outbreak of violence.

Northern Ireland's bickering leaders came under pressure Sunday to unite in a new government after the Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein secured an unprecedented election win.

Kim Bi-O thrilled huge home crowds to win his maiden Asian Tour title at the Maekyung Open on Sunday, coming home two shots clear of fellow South Korean Cho Mung-yu.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was booed and heckled Sunday on his first public outing since protests erupted across the country demanding his ruling family resign over the worsening economic crisis.

A former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy movement was anointed the business hub's new leader on Sunday by a small committee of Beijing loyalists.

Unbeaten Dmitry Bivol retained his WBA light-heavyweight world title with a unanimous points decision over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Saturday, handing the Mexican superstar just the second defeat of his career.

President Xi Jinping has offered state backing for tech, infrastructure and jobs to revive China's economy, but analysts warn growth will continue to wilt until Beijing drops its rigid virus controls.

Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins called out Golden State's Jordan Poole for "yanking" Ja Morant's knee after the Grizzlies star limped out of an NBA playoff loss to the Warriors on Saturday.

The Auckland Blues showcased their title credentials, the ACT Brumbies displayed signs of being a serious threat and the Canterbury Crusaders proved they are not a spent force as the top three pulled clear in Super Rugby Pacific over the weekend.

As the EU poises to mark its anniversary on Monday, it is morphing into a more muscular global actor, a transformation accelerated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Unbeaten Dmitry Bivol retained his WBA light-heavyweight world title with a unanimous points decision over Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Saturday, handing the Mexican superstar the second defeat of his career.

Ferdinand Marcos Junior appears on the cusp of victory in next week's presidential polls, with his seemingly unassailable lead fuelled by a decades-long misinformation campaign to revamp the family brand.

A former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on Hong Kong's democracy movement was anointed the business hub's new leader on Sunday by a small committee of Beijing loyalists.

A deadly fire at an aerospace research institute in Tver, northwest of Moscow. Another blaze at a munitions factory in Perm, more than 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) to the east. And fires in two separate oil depots in Bryansk, near Belarus.

Queer Britain, the UK's first LGBTQ+ museum, opened its doors in London this week, promising to bring the history and culture of the community to a wider audience.

On the eve of elections that look set to return the son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos to the presidential palace, the regime's victims are hurt and dismayed -- but determined to renew their struggle.

On May 4 of last year, star Israeli chef Uri Jeremias was at a meeting of inter-faith leaders where his hometown of Acre was applauded as a "symbol" of Jewish and Arab co-existence.

A year after its devastating war with Israel, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas is faced with a dilemma: to keep up the armed struggle or to lay low and reconstruct the Gaza Strip?

Ukraine's last soldiers in the port city of Mariupol face a brutal final showdown Sunday with besieging Russian forces, who are hoping to deliver a critical win ahead of the country's victory day.

China's ambitions to be a global sporting hub took a heavy blow as the postponement of this year's Asian Games further isolated a country already cut off by its hardline zero-Covid strategy.

On a fateful night in May 2021, three Palestinian fathers living on Gaza City's Wehda Street shared a common tragedy in an Israeli air strike.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and passed off eight assists to spark defending champion Milwaukee over Boston 103-101 on Saturday in the NBA playoffs.

In the Central African Republic (CAR), nine out of 10 people do not have internet, and only one in seven has electricity -- that is, when there are no power cuts.

Thailand's orchid growers, already weary after two years of being battered by the pandemic, are bracing for fresh blows to their livelihood as the war in Ukraine and changing weather patterns further cloud their futures.

As governments slowly shackle the crypto industry with regulations and obligations, Portugal is increasingly isolated in Europe -- a place with few rules that investors describe as a crypto paradise.

Iraqi farmer Kamel Hamed looks at the golden ears of wheat waving in the wind, unable to hide his anguish over the baking heat that is decimating his harvest.

With supplies running low, amputations conducted in a ramshackle clinic, and corpses piling up, the fighters trapped at the besieged steel plant in Ukraine's Mariupol are battling to hold on as Russian forces tighten their grip on the city's last redoubt.

Rescuers combed through what remained of a luxury Havana hotel Saturday, as the death toll after a powerful blast due to a suspected gas leak climbed to 27, authorities said.

Seeking to appease the god of storms and end a drought, men and women in tiger costumes whip each other mercilessly into submission in an ancient ritual in southern Mexico.

Margarita was sure, up to the last moment, that she would be killed running for the buses waiting to save civilians like her from months of terror under Russian bombardment in the holdout Azovstal steel works.

South Korea's hawkish new president will be sworn in Tuesday, and he looks set to get tough with Pyongyang, departing from what he has called the "subservient" approach of his predecessor.