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

Scottie Scheffler was showing off his Olympic gold medal on Wednesday and preparing to chase a first PGA Tour playoff title, while Rory McIlroy hopes to "flip the script" on a heartbreaking year in the next few weeks.

NASA needs to decide by the end of August whether to return two astronauts to Earth aboard Boeing's Starliner, which flew them to the International Space Station (ISS), or bring them home on a SpaceX craft, officials said Wednesday.

Kylian Mbappe scored on his long-awaited Real Madrid debut in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta on Wednesday, putting Carlo Ancelotti's side 2-0 up.

Argentine prosecutors on Wednesday sought the indictment of former president Alberto Fernandez for "injuries" and "threats" alleged by his ex-partner Fabiola Yanez, according to a court document seen by AFP.

A German military base was sealed off for several hours Wednesday as authorities investigated suspected sabotage while a NATO airbase in the country faced an attempted trespassing incident, officials said.

Jannik Sinner fought off eight break points as the top seed began the Cincinnati Masters with a 6-4, 7-5 triumph over US qualifier Alex Michelsen on Wednesday.

NASA needs to decide by the end of August whether to return two astronauts to Earth aboard Boeing's Starliner, which flew them to the International Space Station (ISS), or bring them home on a rival SpaceX craft, officials said Wednesday.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas met with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday in Ankara for talks on a ceasefire and peace, a day after a visit to Moscow.

France on Thursday remembers the 1944 Allied landings in Provence, an event overshadowed by the Normandy landings two months earlier, but still key to the World War II endgame in Europe.

Marina and her family were used to hearing the distant boom of explosions from their village in Russia's Kursk region, just a few kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the mpox surge in Africa was now a global public health emergency, sounding its highest possible alarm over the worsening situation.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had "advanced well" into Russia's Kursk region, as Kyiv's biggest cross-border attack stretched into a second week.

Mohammed Abu al-Qumsan had just collected the birth certificates of his three-day-old twins when he received the news: his Gaza apartment had been bombed, killing the babies and their mother.

Kylian Mbappe will make his long-awaited Real Madrid debut in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta on Wednesday, with coach Carlo Ancelotti naming him in the starting line-up.

Six more bodies, including those of two children, were recovered on Wednesday from the site of a massive garbage landslide in the Ugandan capital Kampala, bringing the death toll so far to 30, police said.

Argentine ex-president Cristina Kirchner testified Wednesday in the trial of three people charged in an attempt to kill her in 2022, saying the planners and financiers of the attack had yet to be found.

The son of Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has admitted carrying out a cocaine and alcohol-fuelled assault on his girlfriend, in a statement released by Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Wednesday.

England Women's head coach John Mitchell believes his side face a tougher upcoming autumn campaign than the task that awaits them in trying to win next year's Rugby World Cup.

Global stock markets mostly rose on Wednesday after data showing US consumer price inflation eased last month raised the prospect of a September interest rate cut.

Qatar will host Gaza ceasefire talks on Thursday, sources close to the negotiations said, seeking a so-far elusive agreement that the United States hopes would stop Iran striking Israel and avert a wider war.

A central stone of the famous Stonehenge monument in southwest England came from 750 kilometres away in northeast Scotland, surprised scientists said Wednesday, solving one mystery but raising another: how did its prehistoric builders move the huge slab so far?

Ernesto grew into a hurricane Wednesday, US forecasters said, after leaving more than 600,000 customers without power in the US territory of Puerto Rico.

Wojciech Szczesny has left Serie A giants Juventus after seven years, the Italian club said Wednesday, with reports the Polish goalkeeper is set to join a club in Saudi Arabia.

US consumer inflation eased slightly in July, according to government data published Wednesday, its smallest 12-month increase since March 2021 and a positive sign for the Federal Reserve as it weighs cutting interest rates.

Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodovar will receive a lifetime achievement award at Spain's San Sebastian film festival next month, organisers said Wednesday.

Rookie road rider Puck Pieterse clung on to win stage four of the women's Tour de France at Liege on Wednesday with Demi Vollering taking second in a photo finish to conserve the yellow jersey.

Global stock markets diverged on Wednesday after data showing US consumer price inflation eased last month raised the prospect of a September interest rate cut.

Far from the madding crowd in a small court room in southern England, a 13-year girl held her mother's hand as she pleaded guilty to participating in Britain's worst riots in over a decade.

Greece on Wednesday counted the cost of devastating fires outside Athens that claimed one life, forced thousands to flee their homes and took three days to control.

French sprinter Muhammad Abdallah Kounta, who competed for France at the Paris Olympics, was suspended by the national federation on Wednesday for publishing comments inciting hatred on social media.

M&M's and Snickers maker Mars said Wednesday that it would acquire snack food business Kellanova, marking a multibillion dollar agreement set to result in a new industry giant.

Former Manchester United and Bayern Munich defender Daley Blind announced his retirement from international football on Wednesday after 108 caps for the Netherlands, making way for a "talented new generation."