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

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that a controversial offshore oil exploration plan near the mouth of the Amazon River was a key opportunity for the country's growth.

When US President Joe Biden meets world leaders at a lavish Italian resort this week he will be shadowed by an invisible and, for now, uninvited guest: Donald Trump.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban agreed on Wednesday that Budapest would "not block" plans for the alliance to play a bigger role in coordinating arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Argentine football superstar Lionel Messi says he expects Inter Miami to be the club where he closes his legendary playing career, but he is not intending to depart right away.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky travelled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, Saudi state media reported, his latest visit to the Gulf kingdom which has sought to stay neutral in Ukraine's war with Russia.

Erik ten Hag said on Wednesday he wants Manchester United to take the "next step" on their pre-season tour in what appears to be a fresh sign he will remain as their manager.

Fans at Euro 2024 will be given more detailed information on video assisted refereeing decisions than before, organisers UEFA said Wednesday.

Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh claimed a career-best 4-9, including two wickets in the first over, as India restricted the United States of America to 110-8 in their T20 World Cup clash on Wednesday.

US carmaker Ford on Friday said it would seek to cut another 1,600 jobs at its factory near Valencia in eastern Spain, where it already axed 1,100 positions last year.

France's transport minister said Wednesday that so-called "flying taxis" -- large futuristic drones capable of transporting several people -- would be authorised for use on an experimental basis during the Paris Olympics.

In a bar in Gabon's capital Libreville, revellers get up and dance as soon as the DJ plays N'Tcham -- a local rhythmic genre born out of the city's prisons.

The Athens Acropolis, Greece's most visited tourist site, was closed to the public during the hottest hours of Wednesday as the season's earliest-ever heatwave swept the country, prompting school closures and health warnings.

FedEx will eliminate up to 2,000 jobs in Europe as part of a cost-cutting drive in response to lackluster demand, the shipping company announced Wednesday.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken said Wednesday an elusive truce and hostage release deal to end the Gaza war was still possible, wrapping up a Middle East tour as deadly fighting rocked the Palestinian territory.

Scientist Will Hawkes said the first sign he was about to witness one of nature's great migrations was being enveloped by a "blizzard of butterflies, cabbage whites and clouded yellows, like a storm of petals".

Obsessive perfectionism and a deadly jump shot made Jerry West, who died on Wednesday at age 86, one of the greatest guards in NBA history.

The United States announced a raft of sanctions Wednesday aimed at constraining Moscow's war in Ukraine while raising the stakes for foreign banks that still deal with Russia, ahead of G7 leaders' talks this week.

Jerry West, an iconic 1960s star guard for the Los Angeles Lakers who inspired the NBA logo, died Wednesday at age 86, the Los Angeles Clippers announced.

France midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has left Tottenham Hotspur by mutual consent, the English Premier League club announced Wednesday.

Fresh US consumer inflation data published Wednesday is unlikely to sway the Federal Reserve's plans to leave its key lending rate unchanged, but could alter how many rate cuts policymakers pencil in for this year.

England midfielder Adam Wharton said he is living the dream after securing a shock selection for Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 squad.

Stock markets surged Wednesday after data showed US inflation slowed in May, raising hopes the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this year.

French national rail operator SNCF said Wednesday it planned to offer high-speed passenger services in neighbouring Italy from 2026, competing with rival Trenitalia on its home turf.

Finn Russell was one of several senior Scotland internationals left out of an experimental squad announced Wednesday for an upcoming tour of the Americas.

Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, Germany's two 21-year-old midfield creators, said Wednesday their connection on and off the pitch could carry the tournament hosts to a fourth Euros title.

A Russian nuclear-powered submarine and other naval vessels arrived in Cuba Wednesday for a five-day visit to the communist island off Florida's coast in a show of force amid spiraling US-Russian tensions.

The European Union threatened on Wednesday to hit Chinese electric car imports with tariffs of up to 38 percent from next month following an anti-subsidy probe, a move that risks triggering a trade war.

French Open champions Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal have been named in the Spain team for the 2024 Olympic Games, the Spanish tennis federation (RFET) announced Wednesday.

A Dutch court on Wednesday handed down lengthy jail sentences to three men for the murder of high-profile crime journalist Peter R. de Vries, a killing that shocked the country.

The international trading system is on the brink of fragmenting amid rising geopolitical tensions, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday, as he cautioned the world against splitting into rival blocs.

Fresh US consumer inflation data published Wednesday is unlikely to sway the Federal Reserve's plans to leave its key lending rate unchanged, but could alter how many rate cuts policymakers pencil in for this year.

US consumer inflation continued to cool last month, according to US government data published Wednesday, giving the US Federal Reserve some positive news shortly before it publishes its latest interest rate decision.