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

Violent clashes erupted between police and demonstrators outside Albania's parliament on Thursday, as protests sparked by a resort development linked to US President Donald Trump's family threatened to escalate.

Millions of Americans sweltered in stifling heat and humidity Thursday with dangerous temperatures expected to hit swaths of densely populated areas through the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Tadej Pogacar will keep winning the Tour de France for many more years, as long as he retains his "desire and drive", fellow four-time winner Chris Froome told AFP.

Iga Swiatek put a stuttering start to her Wimbledon title defence firmly behind her by powering to a statement second-round victory over Karolina Pliskova, with Elena Rybakina and Alexander Zverev in action later Thursday.

Hundreds of rescuers in Venezuela cheered and embraced Thursday after pulling a 43-year-old man alive from the ruins of a collapsed building eight days after deadly twin earthquakes, AFP journalists witnessed.

Russia launched its largest ever barrage on Kyiv early Thursday, according to the city's mayor, tearing open apartment buildings in an hours-long drone and missile attack that killed at least 21 people.

England midfielder Elliot Anderson will move to Manchester City from Nottingham Forest following his return from the World Cup after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal that could make him the most expensive British player in history.

Reigning champion Iga Swiatek returned to her brilliant best in a 6-1, 6-3 thrashing of former world number one Karolina Pliskova in the Wimbledon second round on Thursday.

England have changed five of the starters that lost a Six Nations thriller against France four months ago for a Nations Championship Test against South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.

The dollar fell Thursday after disappointing US jobs data dampened expectations of a quick hike in interest rates.

Second-row Matias Alemanno will become the fifth player to play 100 games for Argentina when they face Scotland in the Nations Championship this weekend, the Argentine Rugby Union announced on Thursday.

The United States posted weaker-than-expected job growth in June as new data showed the labor market is facing headwinds ahead of testing midterm elections for President Donald Trump's Republicans.

The United States posted weaker-than-expected job growth in June as data showed the labor market is facing headwinds ahead of testing midterm elections for Donald Trump's Republicans.

French luxury giant Chanel announced Thursday that it had acquired historic Parisian shirtmaker Charvet, having previously collaborated with the brand which caters mostly to men.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally apologised on Thursday for the forced adoption of an estimated 185,000 babies born to unmarried mothers in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976, calling it "a stain on our history".

French luxury giant Chanel announced Thursday that it had acquired historic Parisian shirtmaker Charvet, having previously collaborated with the brand which caters mostly to men.

Almost 1.2 million undocumented migrants have sought legal status in Spain under a scheme that has defied a growing European crackdown on irregular immigration, according to final figures released on Thursday.

When 17-year-old Karolina Shevchuk's phone warned a Russian missile was headed towards her district of Kyiv, she decided against seeking shelter, choosing instead to stay in her apartment.

German prosecutors said Thursday that the Ukrainian state ordered a 2022 bomb attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, complicating relations between Kyiv and its key military backer Berlin.

Former leading jockey Frankie Dettori sustained several broken ribs and a broken thumb after being involved in a road accident near Newmarket, eastern England, his management company said.

Iga Swiatek will be hoping to put a stuttering start to her Wimbledon title defence behind her on Thursday, as Alexander Zverev bids to prove his credentials on grass.

Louis Rees-Zammit is back on the wing for Wales's Nations Championship opener against Fiji in Cardiff on Saturday.

Germany's ruling coalition has agreed on sweeping tax, labour and pension reforms, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday, a breakthrough aimed at reviving the struggling economy and countering the rise of the far right.

The Paris Opera announced Thursday that it had been forced to extend planned renovations on its historic home in the French capital by three years because of lead contamination.

Europe's main stock markets rose Thursday awaiting key US jobs data, brushing off a rout for Asian technology giants.

Thailand's foreign ministry denied Thursday that French President Emmanuel Macron knelt before the country's king during his state visit to Paris this week, after an AI-generated picture circulated online.

Former Arsenal and Spain playmaker Santi Cazorla retired from football at the age of 41 on Thursday after more than two decades in the game.

European champions Spain and Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal aim to book their places in the last 16 of the World Cup on Thursday as Algeria look to salvage some pride for African football.

German drone maker Quantum Systems said Thursday it has raised $1.2 billion (one billion euros) in a funding round and more than doubled its valuation, highlighting investor buzz surrounding defence tech firms.

Russia launched its largest ever barrage on Kyiv early on Thursday, according to the city's mayor, tearing open apartment buildings in a hours-long drone and missile attack that killed at least 17 people.

Hundreds of people were besieging Lidl supermarkets in and around Paris Thursday, with scuffles and shouting matches breaking out as residents scrambled to get their hands on bargain air-cooling units before the next heatwave hits the French capital.

Veteran Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani has announced his departure from Boca Juniors after three years.

Japan has begun installing hundreds of cameras in its northern mountains as part of a nationwide survey of the bear population following a surge in maulings, an official told AFP on Thursday.

West Ham's Portugal midfielder Mateus Fernandes has joined Spurs after the Hammers' relegation from the Premier League, the clubs announced on Thursday.

German semiconductor giant Infineon opened a five-billion-euro ($5.7 billion) microchip plant Thursday, at a time Europe seeks to bolster its high-tech autonomy.

More research is needed to determine whether bones buried beneath a Dutch church belong to d'Artagnan, the swashbuckling French soldier who inspired the novel The Three Musketeers, officials said Thursday.

Russia launched its largest ever barrage on Kyiv early on Thursday, tearing open apartment buildings and leaving at least 13 people dead, Ukrainian officials said.

The contrast cannot be starker: selfie-taking tourists sipping coffee at Starbucks -- an icon of globalisation and capitalism -- while looking out over reclusive, communist North Korea.

The EU's top court upheld Thursday a record 4.1 billion euro ($4.7 billion) fine the bloc slapped on Google for anti-competitive practices related to its Android operating system.