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

The gutting of US foreign aid has left Ghana facing a $156 million funding shortfall, with the health care and agriculture sectors bracing for shortages of drugs and fertiliser.

Four British women who have accused notorious influencer Andrew Tate of rape said Wednesday they were "concerned" by reports the US government was petitioning Romania to ease his travel restrictions.

Matthieu Jalibert, who started France's last Six Nations game against England, will miss this weekend's third round match in Rome, the French Rugby Federation announced on Wednesday, adding that he was "ill".

A collaboration between the Serbian anti-doping agency and law enforcement operatives who seized 3,000 kilogrammes of performance-enhancing drugs and broke up an organised crime gang last year is "the future in the fight against doping", WADA's Director of Intelligence and Investigations Gunter Younger has told AFP.

AC Milan are licking self-inflicted wounds after a painful Champions League exit at the hands of Feyenoord which has cast a dark shadow over what has already been an awful season.

Swiss mining and commodity trading giant Glencore said Wednesday it was considering shifting its stock listing from London after it stumbled into a net loss last year on falling coal prices and writing down the value of assets.

European and Asian markets mostly fell Wednesday after US President Donald Trump broadened his tariff threats stoking wider trade war fears.

Europe is struggling to make its voice heard as the United States barrels ahead with Russia on talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's President Volodymr Zelensky has an approval rating of 57 percent, according to a poll released Wednesday hours after US President Donald Trump said Zelensky's rating was just four percent.

British military equipment maker BAE Systems on Wednesday announced a five percent rise in annual net profit, boosted by government defence spending amid the war in Ukraine.

Pakistan's largest city was abuzz with anticipation and apprehension Wednesday as the hosts played the opening match of the nation's first major international cricket tournament in three decades.

Swiss mining and commodity trading giant Glencore said Wednesday that falling coal prices and writedowns to the value of its assets pushed it into a net loss for 2024.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and opposition leader Friedrich Merz will face off in a final head-to-head debate Wednesday, four days before the election, in a campaign overshadowed by the rise of the far right.

Pope Francis's heart is holding up very well despite his pneumonia, a Vatican source said Wednesday, amid growing concerns over the hospitalised 88-year-old's condition.

Donald Trump's special envoy was in Kyiv Wednesday, saying he was there to "listen" to Kyiv's concerns, a day after the US president tore into his Ukrainian counterpart in a surprise press conference.

Tech giant Google has paid 326 million euros to Italy following an investigation into alleged unpaid taxes, Milan prosecutors said Wednesday, as they recommended criminal proceedings be dropped.

Residents in a central Manila neighbourhood lined up Wednesday, as dengue cases spike nationwide, to collect a bounty -- one peso for every five mosquitoes, dead or alive.

EU countries on Wednesday agreed a new round of sanctions on Russia, diplomats said, as the bloc looks to keep up pressure in the face of US talks with Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron was set on Wednesday to host a new meeting on Ukraine in a bid to coordinate a European response to what he called an "existential threat" from Russia amid a shock policy shift in Washington.

US President Donald Trump expanded his offensive against trading partners on Tuesday, threatening 25 percent tariffs on imported cars, and similar or higher duties on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

A new law introduced after a spate of high-profile knife crimes will make it harder for young people to purchase knives online, the UK government announced Wednesday.

Britain's annual inflation rate rose more than expected last month, official data showed Wednesday, adding pressure to the Labour government which is also facing sluggish economic growth.

Ilias Roussos will never forget the day he was driven from his native island of Santorini with thousands of others by a quake barrage that shows little sign of slowing down after three weeks.

Pope Francis, who has been diagnosed with pneumonia in both lungs, passed a "peaceful night", the Vatican said Wednesday, amid growing concerns over the 88-year-old's condition.

US President Donald Trump has effectively blamed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia's invasion, as French President Emmanuel Macron prepares for another round of talks with EU and non-European partners on Wednesday.

Battered and bruised Chinese workers from online scam centres in Myanmar faced an anxious wait to return home, as Beijing and Thailand finalised plans on Wednesday for their repatriation.

Less than a third of Niger's vast territory has internet access, so the west African country is betting on satellite broadband to bridge the digital divide in remote rural areas.

The sound of children playing once again fills the streets of Burbaguena since a refugee centre opened in the small village in Spain's sparsely populated northeast, delighting older residents.

Japan will play away games against Ireland, Wales and Georgia in November, its rugby union said Wednesday, with head coach Eddie Jones describing it as "a tour of a lifetime".

At a medical centre in Kyiv, former soldier Dmytro Gorodynsky shuffled around to the funky notes of the 1970s hit "Le Freak", his eyes obscured by sunglasses.

Philips on Wednesday posted worse-than-expected losses in 2024, as the Dutch medical device maker bids to turn the page on a damaging recall of faulty sleep machines.

The EU plans to crackdown on food imports that do not meet its standards as part of an agricultural policy review to be published Wednesday that looks to appease disgruntled farmers amid global trade tensions.