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

French journalist groups have condemned "sexist" remarks directed at women reporters by Eric Dupond-Moretti, the country's combative justice minister.

Private sector hiring in the United States slowed more than expected in August, according to data from payroll firm ADP on Wednesday, as a boom from the leisure and hospitality sectors faded.

Hurricane Idalia slammed into northwest Florida as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm early Wednesday, as officials warned of catastrophic impacts including storm surges of up to 16 feet (about five meters).

England's women cricketers will be paid the same match fees as their male counterparts, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced on Wednesday.

Climate change threatens to exacerbate conflict in fragile nations across the globe and lead to increased deaths, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report published Wednesday.

Shooting guard Anthony "Ant-Man" Edwards hailed the chemistry in the United States team as they won their third game out of three at the Basketball World Cup on Wednesday.

Europe's main stock markets diverged Wednesday after a global rally faded.

The graft-tainted former secretary-general of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) launched a new leftwing party on Wednesday ahead of general elections next year.

Rebel officers in the oil-rich central African state of Gabon announced on Wednesday they had seized power following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power since 2009, had been declared victor.

Raphael Varane has been ruled out for "a few weeks" as Manchester United's injury issues pile up ahead of their Premier League trip to Arsenal.

Business in China could become "too risky" for US firms without changes to the regulatory environment, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned Wednesday as she wrapped up a visit to the world's second-largest economy.

French international forward Randal Kolo Muani skipped training with Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, as he continues to try to force a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

President Emmanuel Macron will meet leaders of all of France's political parties Wednesday, including his most bitter opponents, outside Paris in a bid to break the deadlock of a hung parliament.

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund has acquired a minority stake in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the two entities said Wednesday, the latest example of the kingdom's sports investment push.

Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a Category 4 storm early Wednesday as it barreled towards Florida, threatening "catastrophic" impacts, with officials forecasting it will slam into the coast within hours.

Historic Hollywood strikes have robbed the Venice Film Festival of some of its usual glitz as it launched its 80th edition Wednesday, but a raft of big-name -- and controversial -- directors are keeping the film world buzzing.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he had raised human rights concerns at "every single one" of his meetings with top Chinese officials, as he made a state visit to Beijing on Wednesday.

Iran is ratcheting up a crackdown ahead of the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, arresting prominent personalities, campaigners and relatives of those killed by security forces in protests last year, activists say.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba, whose ouster has been announced by rebel officers, came to power in 2009, succeeding his father Omar, the country's ruler for more than four decades.

The Global Fund announced Wednesday a deal with generic pharmaceutical manufacturers to significantly slash the price of a cutting-edge HIV drug, in a move it said would save lives.

A Pakistan court on Wednesday ordered that former prime minister Imran Khan be kept in jail over allegations he leaked classified documents, a day after a judge granted his release in a separate graft case.

Damien Chazelle, who heads the jury at the Venice Film Festival that kicks off Wednesday, told AFP he hopes Hollywood will get over its current crisis and said he was confident that movies will survive the AI revolution.

The coursing floods in eastern Pakistan first swallowed Nasreen Bibi's corn crop, then the cattle that fed on it, and finally her family home.

A row between China and Japan over Tokyo's decision to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant has added to decades of animosity between the two nations.

Military officers announced on Wednesday overturning the government in Gabon, in an apparent coup targeting President Ali Bongo Ondimba who has been in power for 14 years and whose re-election was just announced.

India's teen chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa arrived home to celebration Wednesday, with media jostling to catch a glimpse of the newly minted star who faced international No.1 Magnus Carlsen in the World Cup final.

Hurricane Idalia intensified early Wednesday as it hurtled towards northwest Florida, threatening "catastrophic" impacts including a dangerous storm surge, with officials forecasting it will slam the coast within hours as an extreme and historic Category 4 storm.

The United States wants to work with China to ensure a more "predictable" environment for American businesses in Shanghai, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told officials in the economic hub on Wednesday.

A group of Gabonese military officers appeared on television Wednesday announcing they were "putting an end to the current regime" and scrapping official election results that had handed another term to veteran President Ali Bongo Ondimba.

Indian officials preparing for the G20 summit next week have hired teams of "monkey-men" and erected primate cutouts to deter marauding monkeys from munching on the floral displays laid out for global leaders.

Dozens of Chinese nationals were arrested in Indonesia on suspicion of running an online love scam syndicate that ensnared hundreds of victims in China, police said Wednesday.

Soon after Judy Kengo was sworn into office last year, the Kenyan legislator faced her first public test when a doctored photo of a lookalike kissing another woman surfaced online.