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

The SongTeller Hotel and its Life of Many Colors Museum have opened in Nashville as one of Dolly Parton’s final major projects.

Salt Café in East Preston is staying open through winter for the first time, nearly 70 years after the Steel family bought the seaside kiosk.

George and Amal Clooney attended a performance at New York’s Seaview Studio where the actor took part in a reading of the political comedy Smear!

High-resolution scans have allowed researchers to examine a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy known as the Braided Lady without physically unwrapping her remains.

Estate agents say demand for Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian homes is pushing some buyers to pay far more for exterior character even when newer properties provide greater space.

Former students and academics have criticised Oxford University and St Hilda’s College over lecturer Matt Rattley’s use of large breast prosthetics and low-cut clothing while teaching.

Thomas Markle Sr, the estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex, has been charged in Florida with one count of possessing child sexual abuse material and released on bond under house arrest.

Kyren Wilson and four-time world champion John Higgins were set to contest the 2026 International Championship final in Nanjing for a £175,000 first prize.

King Art selected the Adeptus Mechanicus as the fourth playable faction in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 after considering alternatives including the Death Guard.

New Zealand face Tonga in the 2026 Rugby League World Cup semi-final at Newcastle International Sports Centre in Australia.

Italy host world champions South Africa at Allianz Stadium in Turin in round four of the 2026 Nations Championship, with both teams forced into injury-related changes.

Investigations into conversational toys have found that some products can produce disturbing or unsafe responses to children, increasing pressure for stronger regulation.

A new ChatGPT feature called Intelligent UI can generate interactive tools with controls, charts and graphics directly inside a conversation.

Alaska’s capital relies on barges, aircraft and community exchange to feed residents in a region with no road connection to the wider state network.

British dairy farmers have warned of mounting losses after processor Freshways announced a 7p-a-litre reduction in the price it pays producers.

India rose five places to 45th in the Allianz Green Transition Tracker after greenhouse-gas emissions fell 0.2% in 2025 despite economic growth of about 7.6%.

New Zealand’s election remained undecided with more than half the vote counted, as Labour and National were separated by a fraction of a percentage point.

US President Donald Trump has appointed senior adviser Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles days after Republicans lost control of Congress.

Sky Atlantic’s The Good Daughter places two estranged lawyer sisters at the centre of a school-shooting case and a family history shaped by violence.

A new long-distance route through north-eastern Albania is using restored stone tower houses as guest accommodation while directing tourism toward remote villages.

A Ukrainian soldier was flown from a heavily monitored frontline area in Kharkiv region by a purpose-built cargo drone after ground evacuation attempts failed.

Sonia Gandhi has described how assassinations and family duty drew her into Indian politics despite her longstanding reluctance to seek public office.

West Bromwich Albion head coach James Morrison says consecutive Championship defeats by Wolves and Birmingham put him under pressure before his side began its current unbeaten run.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Montevideo to begin a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, three weeks after surgery for lung cancer.

The UK government is preparing for a possible state visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2027, although officials say the plan has not been finalised.

Former Australia batter Usman Khawaja has challenged the official account of the 2018 sandpaper scandal, saying players and staff across the touring party knew about the plan.

A new study indicates that 70% of British users routinely use polite language such as 'please' and 'thank you' when interacting with artificial intelligence assistants. The findings suggest that traditional conversational etiquette remains a default behavior for many, even as concerns about the computational costs of these interactions persist.

Monmore Green has commenced the Monmore 1000 Winter Series tonight with a new initiative designed to attract high-quality Open race entries ahead of the festive season. The track begins the program with a 480m Category Three event featuring significantly boosted prize money, marking a substantial increase from standard rates until December 12.

The 13th World Golf Awards will take place on November 7 at Madinaty Golf Club in Egypt, marking the first time the prestigious ceremony is held on the African continent. The event underscores Egypt’s expanding influence in global golf tourism and highlights the venue's reputation for hosting international tournaments.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are conducting secret diplomatic negotiations with Iran to secure a ceasefire and resume nuclear talks. While Vance engages intermediaries for a political solution, Trump maintains military pressure to strengthen the administration's bargaining position.

Online casino review platforms in New Zealand have fundamentally shifted their evaluation methodology, placing security and verified payout speeds above all other metrics. Sites lacking a confirmed license number are now immediately excluded from rankings, regardless of promotional offers or game library size. This stricter approach aims to combat evolving scam tactics and provide players with transparent, data-backed assessments of operator reliability.

Meteorologists are grappling with significant uncertainty regarding Pennsylvania’s winter outlook following an unusually early disruption of the polar vortex. This atmospheric shift is expected to bring wetter and milder conditions through mid-November, potentially setting the stage for colder air later in the month, though experts caution that the long-term impacts remain undecided.