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

The number of fires breaking out in plastic recycling plants has soared in Turkey.

The Isle of May, off Scotland's east coast, is home to one of the UK's biggest colonies of seabirds. Some 200,000 birds, from kittiwakes to guillemots can flock to the rocky outcrop at the height of the breeding season.

Fans will be allowed in when the coronavirus-delayed Chinese Super League season kicks off on Friday despite the country's strict Covid controls, state media reported.

The United States expressed concern on Saturday over China's "efforts to restrict and manipulate" the UN human rights chief's visit to the Xinjiang region where Beijing is accused of detaining over a million people in indoctrination camps.

Russian forces engaged in an all-out battle in eastern Ukraine have captured the strategic town of Lyman and surrounded a key industrial centre, Moscow has claimed.

Israel's traffic congestion ranks near the worst among developed economies but an algorithm can help, says one of the country's IT firms engaged in the auto and mobility sector.

Louis Bloomsfield inspects the kegs of beer at his brewery in north London, eagerly awaiting June, when he will get an extra day off every week.

Spraying a cow with pesticides, health workers target blood-sucking ticks at the heart of Iraq's worst detected outbreak of a fever that causes people to bleed to death.

On an overcast morning in Bradford, northern England, a steady stream of locals arrive at a foodbank to collect produce parcels described as "a lifesaver" during the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

A second-string Auckland Blues edged NSW Waratahs with a last-gasp drop goal to extend their win streak to 13 as Moana Pasifika shocked the ACT Brumbies in the final round of the regular Super Rugby Pacific season.

WNBA players and their union leaders stepped up their calls for Brittney Griner's release from prison in Russia on Saturday, the 100th day of the US basketball star's detention.

Jordan-based artist Maria Nissan is on a mission: to rid the world of single-use plastics and to raise public awareness about the environmental scourge through eye-catching art.

Jerusalem is bracing for a controversial "flag march" by Israelis on Sunday that has sparked warnings of a new escalation from Palestinian factions.

Only time will tell how much record US prices at the pump will dent driving demand this summer, but don't expect a significant increase in gasoline supply from American refineries.

Fast-food employees in Manhattan demonstrating for a wage of $20 an hour: a demand unthinkable before the Covid-19 pandemic has become unexceptional, as short-handed companies offer big wage increases without, however, doing much to narrow a yawning income gap.

US President Joe Biden will visit Uvalde on Sunday to console residents mourning 19 children and two teachers who were gunned down at an elementary school in the small Texas town.

European football governing body UEFA blamed "fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles" for a 35-minute delay to Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris, but the English club heavily criticised the treatment of their supporters.

If Real Madrid's Champions League final win in 2018 was remembered for a nightmare performance by Loris Karius in the Liverpool goal, the Spanish club's victory over the same opponents in Paris on Saturday was in no small part down to the heroics of Thibaut Courtois.

Top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler closed with a 30-foot birdie putt to seize a two-stroke lead after Saturday's wind-whipped third round of the US PGA Charles Schwab Challenge.

A season that will live in the memory for Liverpool fans ended on a night that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons as Jurgen Klopp's men were beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid in Paris.

Karim Benzema admitted he had done all he could with Real Madrid this season to make himself favourite for the Ballon d'Or after helping the Spanish giants beat Liverpool 1-0 in Saturday's Champions League final in Paris.

Trayvon Bromell and Elaine Thompson-Herah grabbed 100m Diamond League victories Saturday in Eugene, where eight world-leading performances highlighted the action at Hayward Field.

Torrential rains that have plagued Brazil's northeastern Pernambuco state since Tuesday have left at least 34 dead, 29 of which occurred over the previous day, according to the latest official update.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the families of his squad and staff were caught up in the chaotic scenes outside the Stade de France that led to the kick-off of Saturday's Champions League final being delayed.

Carlo Ancelotti typically played down becoming the first manager to win four European Cups after Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in Paris on Saturday saying luck had a part to play before acknowledging "I am a record man".

European football governing body UEFA blamed "fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles" for a delay of over half an hour to the start of Saturday's Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris.

Real Madrid are champions of Europe for a record-extending 14th time after Carlo Ancelotti's side beat Liverpool 1-0 in Paris on Saturday, but rarely have the Spanish champions taken a more chaotic road to glory.

Vinicius Junior scored the only goal of the game as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 in Saturday's Champions League final in Paris to become kings of Europe for a record-extending 14th time after a night marred by problems outside the ground that led to the kick-off being delayed by over half an hour.

Ordinary members of the branch of Ukraine's Orthodox church, until now loyal to Moscow, drove the decision to break ranks with the Russian leadership, its spokesman told AFP Saturday.

More than 30 people were killed in southern Nigeria Saturday after a stampede erupted during a crowded church charity event where food was being distributed.

The South Korean cinema industry added to a global winning streak on Saturday by scooping two key prizes at the Cannes Film Festival for a pair of beloved veterans.

The Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid in Paris kicked off over half an hour later than scheduled having been delayed due to "fake tickets which did not work in the turnstiles" UEFA said on Saturday.