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

The Pantanal wetlands in western Brazil are famed as a paradise of biodiversity, but these days they have enormous clouds of smoke billowing over them, as raging wildfires reduce vast expanses to scorched earth.

A Russian woman accused of killing military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, pleaded partially guilty during a court hearing on Wednesday.

Babar Azam said Wednesday he was resigning as Pakistan captain in all three formats following the team's Cricket World Cup flop but will continue playing for the national team.

Flying taxis have been a sci-fi fixture for decades, but one operator says they are finally close to reality, first in the United States and then the United Arab Emirates and India.

Could the distinctive thin wood packaging around France's famed camembert cheese be under threat from the EU's recycling drive?

The UK government vowed Wednesday to persevere with a controversial plan to send migrants to Rwanda, despite the Supreme Court upholding a lower court ruling that it was unlawful and should not go ahead.

Israeli soldiers on Wednesday raided and then combed through Gaza's main hospital, a key objective in their war on Hamas but which has raised fears for thousands of patients and other civilians trapped inside.

David Beckham told AFP in an interview on Wednesday that his Inter Miami franchise signed Lionel Messi as "our gift to America and the MLS".

Virat Kohli on Wednesday struck his 50th one-day international century, taking him past Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record, but he will remain wary of any comparisons with his fellow cricket icon.

Germany's top court wiped 60 billion euros from a climate fund Wednesday as it decided the government had broken crucial debt rules, leaving the ruling coalition's budget in disarray and testing its unity anew.

India has sought advice from the Thai company that rescued children from a flooded cave in 2018 as it races to save 40 men trapped in a road tunnel, officials said Wednesday.

Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere hit new record highs in 2022, with no end in sight to the rising trend, the United Nations warned Wednesday.

Hundreds of conservative Muslims protested outside Coldplay's first ever gig in Indonesia on Wednesday, clashing with police and booing concertgoers over the band's support for the LGBTQ community.

Virat Kohli scored a record-breaking 50th one-day international hundred and Shreyas Iyer made a blistering century of his own as India piled up a commanding 397-4 against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday.

The husband of slain Kenyan distance running star Agnes Tirop was freed on bail on Wednesday after two years in custody over her killing.

Russia said Wednesday for the first time that some Ukrainian troops had established positions on the Russian-held side of the Dnipro river, the vast waterway that splits the frontline in southern Ukraine.

The UK Supreme Court rejected Wednesday a controversial government plan to send migrants to Rwanda and upheld a lower court ruling that it was unlawful, in a major setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold is stepping down from his role, the club announced on Wednesday, as British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe edges closer to becoming a minority stakeholder.

Former England captain Andrew Flintoff has been appointed as head coach of the Northern Superchargers men's team in The Hundred, nearly a year after a serious car accident.

India's Virat Kohli scored a record 50th one-day international hundred when he reached three figures in the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Major Asian stock markets surged and European indices extended gains Wednesday, with sentiment lifted by news of sharply-slowing inflation in the United States and Europe.

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg on Wednesday denied a public order offence, after she was arrested at a demonstration against the energy industry in central London.

Union Berlin, currently bottom of the Bundesliga and without a point since the end of August, have parted company with coach Urs Fischer, the club said on Wednesday.

Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold is set to leave the Premier League club, with British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe on the brink of buying a 25 percent stake, reports said Wednesday.

Bangladesh garment factories reopened Wednesday as hundreds of thousands of workers returned to key manufacturing hubs after days of violent protests demanding a near-tripling of the minimum wage.

Cole Palmer says his surprise move from Treble winners Manchester City to Premier League rivals Chelsea is already paying off after he earned a first England call-up.

The European Commission on Wednesday lowered its eurozone growth forecast for 2023 and 2024, saying the high cost of living and interest rates were weighing on consumers and businesses.

More than 200,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Myanmar after an alliance of ethnic minority groups launched an offensive against the military last month, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Chinese internet giant Tencent announced on Wednesday a nine percent year-on-year dip in third-quarter net income, even as it posted growth in revenue over the same period.

Israeli forces raided Gaza's largest hospital Wednesday, targeting what they say is a Hamas command centre in tunnels beneath thousands of patients and civilians seeking refuge from intense combat.

South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma on Wednesday warned they are not up against a "Mickey Mouse team" in their World Cup semi-final against Australia amid feverish expectation of reaching their first championship match.

France has issued an international arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accused of complicity in crimes against humanity over chemical attacks in 2013, a judicial source and plaintiffs in the case said Wednesday.