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

US President Donald Trump insisted on Thursday that he have a say in picking Iran's next supreme leader, as the war triggered by the US-Israeli campaign that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reverberated throughout the Middle East and beyond.

EU member states and lawmakers agreed Thursday to ban using meat-related terms such as "steak" and "bacon" to market plant-based foods -- but spared veggie "burgers" and "sausage".

Lionel Messi's Inter Miami will face Mexican sides Atletico San Luis, Monterrey and Leon on the first phase of the 2026 Leagues Cup, which will feature matches in Mexico for the first time.

India clung on to beat England by seven runs in a thrilling T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday, despite Jacob Bethell's superb 105 that put Harry Brook's side within a whisker of pulling off a record chase.

Conservative Anglican bishops opposed to the Church of England appointing a woman as its head for the first time said Thursday they had created a new body to lead them.

Sri Lanka has offloaded crew of an Iranian navy vessel and assumed countrol of it, the South Asian nation's president said Thursday, a day after a deadly US submarine attack on another ship.

Iran's players sang the national anthem and saluted before their defeat to Australia in the Women's Asia Cup on Thursday, after staying silent before their opening game.

India clung on to beat England by seven runs in a thrilling T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday, despite Jacob Bethell's superb 105.

Around 20,000 seafarers and 15,000 cruise ship passengers are stuck in the Gulf because of the Middle East war, the UN's International Maritime Organization told AFP on Thursday.

Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada has recalled powerful centre Juan Ignacio Brex for the visit of England in the Six Nations this weekend while Alessandro Garbisi will line up alongside his brother Paolo at half-back.

A French policeman who shot and killed a teenager at point-blank range in 2023 outside Paris, sparking nationwide protests, will stand trial for violence that led to death, an appeals court said Thursday.

Oil prices pushed higher while stocks dropped on Thursday as investors tracked developments on the sixth day of the Middle East war.

Fewer commercial flights were cancelled Thursday in the Middle East despite continued military strikes, with more than 100 flights taking off from the United Arab Emirates, according to a specialist data firm.

Ukraine and Russia each freed 200 prisoners of war on Thursday, the first part of an exchange that will see them swap 500 people each in total, officials said.

The Middle East war has forced the World Health Organization to suspend operations at its global emergency logistics hub in Dubai, the UN agency's chief said Thursday.

Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison sought Thursday to calm fears over the future of CNN, pledging to protect the news network's editorial independence as his company closes in on a landmark takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The US campaign to hunt down and destroy boats allegedly bringing drugs from South America has been so successful it is now hard to find targets, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said Thursday.

Jack Dempsey has been passed fit to return for Scotland's top-of-the-table Six Nations match at home to leaders France.

Sanju Samson's scintillating 89 off 42 balls laid the platform for India to pile up a massive 253-7 against England in the T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday.

Wary of getting directly involved in the US-Israeli war with Iran, European countries are nevertheless being drawn into the conflict following attacks on Cyprus and Western allies in the Gulf.

Oil prices pushed higher while stocks dropped on Thursday as investors tracked developments on the sixth day of the Middle East war.

Organisers of the Milan-Cortina Paralympics confirmed on Thursday that seven countries will boycott the opening ceremony in protest at Russian athletes being allowed to compete under their own flag for the first time since 2014.

With plenty of barks, treats and tail-wagging, the world's biggest and most famous dog show got underway Thursday in Britain, with a record number of overseas entries among those bidding for Crufts glory.

Israel issued an unprecedented evacuation warning on Thursday for the entirety of Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, sending residents in the district of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing in a panic.

Paris Saint-Germain warm up for their Champions League last-16 showdown with Chelsea by once again taking on Monaco on Friday, as coach Luis Enrique looked forward to "the best part of the season" starting.

Google opened an AI centre Berlin on Thursday, pledging to step up innovation in the German capital, which boasts a dynamic start-up scene and strong academic and research institutions.

A second Iranian warship neared Sri Lankan waters on Thursday, a minister told parliament, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate, killing at least 84 sailors.

Portugal's government ordered a day of national mourning for writer Antonio Lobo Antunes, internationally acclaimed for his work on the divisions in Portuguese society, after his death was announced Thursday at the age of 83.

Germany's largest union Thursday accused Tesla of intimidating staff at the US carmaker's factory outside Berlin after it lost a vote to gain control of a body representing workers' interests.

Wales captain Dewi Lake is comfortable with the Welsh being regarded as underdogs for their Six Nations match with Ireland, saying on Thursday "that's probably our favourite place to be".

Thousands of German teenagers skipped school Thursday to join protests against a stepped-up military recruitment drive that many fear may in future involve a form of conscription.

Wary of getting directly involved in the US-Israeli war with Iran, European countries are nevertheless being drawn into the conflict following attacks on Cyprus and Western allies in the Gulf.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot is adamant that injuries have played a major role in his side's faltering defence of their Premier League title.

Real Madrid will "keep fighting" as long as they mathematically have a chance of winning La Liga, after slipping four points behind Barcelona, under-pressure coach Alvaro Arbeloa said on Thursday.

Australia demolished Iran 4-0 to join South Korea in the quarter-finals of the Women's Asia Cup on Queensland's Gold Coast on Thursday.

Global stock markets rose and oil prices crept up further on Thursday as the Middle East war entered its sixth day, with energy supplies constrained and investors assessing levels of volatility.

Harry Kane will miss Bayern Munich's Bundesliga match against Borussia Moenchengladbach with a calf injury, coach Vincent Kompany said on Thursday.

Nepal voted on Thursday for a new parliament in a high-stakes showdown between an entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement, six months after deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the government.

Tim Henman believes it is more important for Emma Raducanu to improve her physicality rather than settle on a new coach if she is to climb up the tennis world rankings.