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

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move.

Donald Trump arrived for a tour of the US Federal Reserve Thursday as the president escalates pressure on its chairman Jerome Powell over the central bank's management of the economy.

Five Canadian professional hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2018 were found not guilty on Thursday, with the judge ruling the complainant's account of the alleged offenses was not credible.

A top Department of Justice official was meeting on Thursday with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, US media reported, as President Donald Trump struggles to tamp down a furor over his handling of the explosive case.

Gazans are in desperate need of essentials after more than 21 months of war, but efforts to get aid into the Palestinian territory -- and to its hungry residents -- face major obstacles.

Donald Trump is due to visit the US Federal Reserve Thursday as the president escalates pressure on its chairman Jerome Powell over the central bank's management of the economy.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett got England off to a flying start in their first innings of the fourth Test before India ensured both openers fell agonisingly short of centuries.

Ben O'Connor won stage 18 of the Tour de France with a world-class climb over three Alpine mountains on Thursday as defending champion Tadej Pogacar tightened his grip on the yellow jersey.

An historic climate ruling by the world's highest court could make it legally riskier for fossil fuel companies to do business and embolden lawsuits against oil and gas expansion, experts say.

A student-initiated petition against a toxic chemical deadly to bees has sparked a grass-roots movement in France that commentators say might be a sign of people's growing frustration with political elites.

New Atletico Madrid signing Johnny Cardoso said Thursday he wants to "make history" as the first player from the United States at the club.

French luxury group LVMH saw net profit plummet 22 percent in the first half of 2025, the company announced Thursday, blaming the plunge on an "unsettled economic and geopolitical" backdrop.

Hulk Hogan, the iconic face of professional wrestling in the 1980s who parlayed his prowess in the ring into an acting career, has died at the age of 71, US media reported Thursday.

Ben O'Connor won stage 18 of the Tour de France with a world-class climb over three Alpine mountains on Thursday as defending champion Tadej Pogacar extended his race lead.

Arsenal on Thursday announced the signing of Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, taking their spending during the summer transfer window close to £140 million ($189 million).

Lewis Hamilton revealed on Thursday he had prepared his own reports to present to Ferrari's senior management during a series of recent meetings in a bid to power the team to a first world title since 2008.

Paceman Salman Mirza grabbed three wickets and opener Sahibzada Farhan struck an aggressive fifty in Pakistan's consolation 74-run win in the third T20 on Thursday as Bangladesh took the series 2-1.

Notorious French drug baron Mohamed Amra, known as "The Fly", was on Thursday transferred to a new supermax prison, built to stop narcotics criminals from plying their trade from behind bars.

Major economies including China and the EU on Thursday welcomed a ruling by the world's highest court paving the way for climate reparations, with Germany hailing the move as a "milestone".

Australian Ben O'Connor won stage 18 of the Tour de France with a world class climb over three Alpine mountains on Thursday as defending champion Tadej Pogacar extended his race lead on Jonas Vingegaard.

Stock markets mostly bumped upwards Thursday as hopes grew that the European Union could strike a trade deal with the United States, while Tesla shares nosedived on poor earnings results.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff on Thursday laughed off suggestions they held talks about a potential team move while both happened to be on holiday at the same time in Sardinia ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is set to undergo back surgery on a long-term problem and will miss three months as a result, the Germany international said on Thursday.

American Airlines shares tumbled Thursday as the carrier projected a third-quarter loss due to lingering weakness in the US leisure market.

As temperatures inched towards 40C in Athens, a vegetable seller spontaneously handed a bottle of water to street musician Anna Gardere Nikolaki, a regular at this Athens food market.

The Hungarian government on Thursday barred provocative Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country for three years and performing at the upcoming Sziget festival, accusing the band of "antisemitic hate speech".

A top Department of Justice official was expected to meet on Thursday with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as President Donald Trump struggles to quell fury over his handling of the notorious case.

Prosecutors did not prove that five Canadian professional hockey players committed sexual assault, a judge found Thursday, ruling that evidence provided by the female complainant was neither "credible or reliable."

Max Verstappen insisted on Thursday that Christian Horner's shock departure as team boss of Red Bull will have no impact on his future plans.

England's openers made a flying start to their first innings in the fourth Test against India on Thursday, reaching 77-0 at tea after dismissing the tourists for 358, with captain Ben Stokes taking five wickets.

President Mohamed Bazoum has been languishing for two years along with his wife in Niger's presidential palace since his ouster by a junta, which is using them as human shields to avert foreign military intervention to free them, according to the couple's lawyers.

A statue of the apostle Saint Thomas was on Thursday returned to Notre-Dame in Paris, which has now recovered all 16 statues that adorned the base of its spire before a 2019 devasting fire.

A notorious French singer who beat his girlfriend to death is to face a new legal investigation over the suicide of his ex-wife following a Netflix documentary about his violent behaviour, prosecutors said Thursday.

Rishabh Pant defied a severe foot injury to make a gutsy fifty while England captain Ben Stokes took his first five-wicket haul in eight years as India were dismissed for 358 in the fourth Test at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Israel said on Thursday it had recalled its negotiators from Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas, as international pressure mounted for a breakthrough to end nearly two years of devastating war.

Donald Trump is due to visit the US Federal Reserve Thursday as the president escalates his pressure on its chairman Jerome Powell over the central bank's management of the economy.

Opener Sahibzada Farhan hit a solid half century to guide Pakistan to an improved total of 178-7 in the third and final Twenty20 international against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Thursday.

The International Criminal Court Thursday convicted a former top Central African Republic football official and a militiaman nicknamed Rambo for multiple war crimes committed during the country's civil war in 2013 and 2014.

Stock markets mostly extended gains Thursday as optimism grew that the European Union could soon strike a trade deal with the United States, following the Japan-US agreement.