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

World number one Shi Yuqi of China fought from behind to beat Thai reigning champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the men's singles badminton world championship final on Sunday, while Japan's Akane Yamaguchi beat Chen Yufei of China in the women's showpiece.

The penultimate edition of the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday produced plenty of drama, with Oscar Piastri winning, a late retirement for his McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris, and double trouble for Ferrari.

Eyes glowing red, the towering "ghost king" presided over the atrium of a Hong Kong housing block on Sunday as residents performed age-old rituals -- a scene that may become history as redevelopment looms.

British actor Jude Law on Sunday said he became an "obsessive" watcher of Vladimir Putin as he prepared for his role as the Russian leader in his new film "The Wizard of the Kremlin" which premieres later at the Venice Film Festival.

A new documentary about British singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull urges viewers to take a fresh look at the extraordinary life of the "Swinging 60s" icon who died in January this year.

New Zealand beat Japan by an ultimately convincing 62-19 on Sunday as the reigning champions reached the quarter-finals of the Women's Rugby World Cup with a game to spare.

Jonas Vingegaard claimed stage nine victory in the Vuelta a Espana on Sunday with a strong finish which helped him eat away at Torstein Traen's general classification lead.

Whether it's the thumping music, the rowdy spectators or the aroma of marijuana, maintaining concentration presents a huge challenge for players at the world's most raucous Grand Slam.

American director Jim Jarmusch said Sunday he was "disappointed" that arthouse film streaming platform Mubi had accepted investment from a venture capital fund with links to the Israeli military.

Oscar Piastri powered to victory at an incident-packed Dutch Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, with home favourite Max Verstappen claiming second place as Piastri's McLaren teammate Lando Norris suffered a dramatic breakdown late in the race.

Manchester City blew the lead in a shock 2-1 defeat at Brighton that extended their troubled start to the Premier League season, while Liverpool braced for their blockbuster clash with title rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

Oscar Piastri powered to victory at an incident-packed Dutch Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday, with home favourite Max Verstappen claiming second place as Piastri's McLaren teammate Lando Norris suffered a dramatic breakdown late in the race.

Israel said Sunday its forces had killed the spokesman of Hamas's armed wing in a strike on Gaza a day earlier, the latest fatality in the group's senior ranks in the nearly two-year war.

A flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, left Barcelona on Sunday vowing to try to "break the illegal siege of Gaza", organisers said.

Ireland took a giant stride towards the last eight of the Women's Rugby World Cup with a hard-fought 43-27 win over Spain on Sunday.

Indonesia cut financial perks for lawmakers on Sunday, after at least five people were killed in protests against economic hardship that have escalated into anger against police.

Jamie Vardy is close to completing a move to Cremonese, who are level on points with Serie A leaders Napoli, a source at the promoted club confirmed to AFP on Sunday.

Akane Yamaguchi beat former world number one Chen Yufei of China 21-9, 21-13 on Sunday to win the women's singles badminton world championship final.

Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson has reportedly stayed in Germany in a bid to revive his aborted loan move to Bayern Munich after the deal was called off at the last minute.

In a former classroom, now a makeshift relief camp, pregnant women take refuge from the floods that have ravaged eastern Pakistan, their bodies aching, eyes heavy with exhaustion and silent despair.

Augsburg midfielder Robin Fellhauer was discharged from hospital on Sunday, a day after he was stretchered from the pitch following a clash of heads with Bayern Munich defender Sacha Boey.

Matthijs de Ligt insists Manchester United's players "stand behind" beleaguered boss Ruben Amorim and deserve the blame for the club's calamitous start to the season.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday spoke out against protests over economic conditions and inequality, saying some actions in rallies that have spread across the country in recent days amounted to treason and terrorism.

Double World Cup winner Faf de Klerk will join the Springboks in New Zealand for the second leg of their Rugby Championship campaign against the All Blacks, SA Rugby announced on Sunday.

The home of Indonesia's finance minister was looted overnight, soldiers guarding her residence and a witness told AFP on Sunday, as protest anger at police spreads to lawmakers.

Viral footage of a tactical van crashing into a young delivery driver in Indonesia's capital before rolling over his body has sparked renewed anger against a police force long known for its heavy-handed tactics.

President Xi Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries on Sunday for a showpiece summit aimed at putting China front and centre of regional relations.

Britain's energy operator is betting on an age-old technology to future-proof its grid, as the power plants that traditionally helped stabilise it are closed and replaced by renewable energy systems.

The wife of an Australian man wanted in connection with the killing of two police officers urged her husband to surrender, in a statement sent to Australian media Sunday.

Residents of the tiny Indonesian island of Pari, threatened with disappearance by rising sea levels driven by climate change, have come to Switzerland to demand compensation from cement giant Holcim.

Third seed Alexander Zverev crashed out in the US Open third round on Saturday after losing to Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets.

A flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is due to leave from Barcelona on Sunday to try to "break the illegal siege of Gaza", organisers said.

France's foreign minister has arrived in Greenland to express his nation's "solidarity" with the Danish autonomous territory, the ministry said, after Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants the United States to take over the island.

Tourists snatch arms and legs away from a passing train in Hanoi, shrinking back into railside cafes that have brought lucrative business to a former slum disdained by the government.

Sporting dark face paint and clutching a gun, teenage soldier-in-training Takuma Hiyane crawls across a field on Japan's Okinawa, the front line of the nation's defence as anxiety grows over China's territorial ambitions.

Through the vast interior of Guyana, a historic red dirt road known as "The Trail" winds through rainforest, plains and hills, linking the capital Georgetown to Lethem in the south on the border with Brazil.

President Vladimir Putin landed in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin on Sunday to attend a summit hosted by counterpart Xi Jinping with around 20 other world leaders.

Jannik Sinner kept his US Open title defence on track Saturday as Iga Swiatek struggled through to the last 16 and home favourite Coco Gauff booked a blockbuster clash with Naomi Osaka.

Iga Swiatek struggled into the last 16 of the US Open on Saturday, recovering from a rocky start to edge past Russia's Anna Kalinskaya.