Navy ships and military aircraft were bringing water, food and fuel to towns where supplies were depleted and roads were cut off by the fires. Since Monday, four people have died as destructive wildfires tore through communities in New South Wales and Victoria states on Australia's southeast coast.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's dream project of building a canal in Istanbul to rival those at Suez and Panama has turned into a political showdown with the city's new mayor.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has announced that Pyongyang no longer considers itself bound by its moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic tests, threatening a demonstration of a new strategic weapon.
In the year of biggest sports extravaganza, i.e., the Summer Olympics, there's a lot more to look forward to. Timesofindia.com puts together the month-wise list of international sports events coming up in 2020.
The board said that it has taken a pragmatic approach and decided to withdraw Shah who has already made an impact in senior men's cricket, having played three Tests with a five-wicket haul also to his name.
Together, the dominant trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer held World No. 1 for 480 weeks this decade (92% of the 2010s), won 33 of the 40 Grand Slams, captured 61 of the 90 Masters 1000s and appeared in 74 Masters 1000 finals.
Smoke haze could come into play as New Zealand look to salvage some pride from their miserable tour of Australia in the third and final Test in Sydney this week.
Venus Williams has pulled out of the upcoming Brisbane International after suffering a 'setback' in training, the former world number one said on Wednesday.
US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper said on Tuesday that the US will deploy the troops immediately to the Middle East, a move taken hours after demonstrators stormed its embassy.
A veteran on the domestic scene, Test opener Mayank Agarwal talks about his hard-earned first year as an international cricketer and how he will continue his international run in New Zealand where, he says, the focus and the goal will remain the same, to contribute to the team's success.
City played 381 league games in the past 10 years, collecting 818 points -- 71 points more than their closest challenger Manchester United (747 points from 380 games). They scored 845 goals, 130 more than Chelsea and Liverpool.
The city has been battered by more than six months of unrest with millions marching, as well as confrontations in which police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets, while protesters have responded with petrol bombs.
Tsai, who's seeking re-election in a Jan. 11 vote, also vowed in a New Year's speech to defend Taiwan's sovereignty, saying her government would build a mechanism to safeguard freedom and democracy as Beijing ramps up pressure on the island.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will stick to his commitments on denuclearization, even as the strongman threatened a "new strategic weapon."
North Korea's leader plans to further develop nuclear programmes and to introduce a "new strategic weapon" in the near future, state media said on Wednesday, but he left room for dialogue with the United States after it ignored a year-end deadline he had set for talks.
Tennis' innovative new team championship kicks off the men's 2020 season on Friday, with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among those looking for a winning start ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year.
Washington has accused Iraqi authorities of failing to "protect" US interests, the day after deadly American air strikes against a pro-Iran group sparked anger. At least 25 fighters were killed in Sunday night's attacks, which were in retaliation for the death last week of a US civilian contractor. The United States has blamed the attacks on pro-Iran factions.
Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar believes that 2019 was the "worst year" for him as an analyst and commentator, referring to his spat with Ravindra Jadeja during the World Cup and after that the "unprofessional and indecent" comment he made about celebrated commentator Harsha Bhogle.
A hat-trick of losses in the last three rounds ended Koneru Humpy's hopes of a second title at the women's World Rapid and Blitz Championships as the Indian Grandmaster finished 12th overall in the two-day blitz competition in Moscow.
Cricket's biggest spectacle - ICC ODI World Cup - took place in England in the year 2019 and had a first-time winner. This was also the first time when the World Cup final result was decided neither by wickets nor by runs. TimesofIndia.com brings you the top five talking points of the World Cup.
Krishnamachari Srikkanth might not have racked up the biggest numbers in international cricket, but even to this day, almost three decades after his retirement, he stays one of the eternal crowd favourites.
Ending weeks of tough posturing, which had threatened to rob several Indian athletes of their legitimate right to compete at the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday officially took back its threat of "withdrawing" from the 2022 CWG in Birmingham over shooting's exclusion at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) here.
He has unfinished business to tend to. Vikas Krishan, who was considered the country's biggest hope for a medal from boxing in the last two Olympics, had turned pro in November 2018. He recently returned to the amateur fold with the goal to win a medal for India at the Tokyo Olympics.
Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be officially presented as an AC Milan player on January 3, the Italian club confirmed on Monday.
Boxer L Sarita Devi has alleged that her bout against Simranjit Kaur in the recently-concluded selection trials for Olympic qualifiers was "fixed" and that certain people who are part of the Indian boxing set-up had "ganged up" against her to deny her a fair chance.
“This year in Russia was the hottest for the entire period of instrumental observations,” the head of the Gidromedtsentr weather service, Roman Vilfand, said. He said Moscow’s average temperature for 2019 had hit 7.6°-7.7° Celsius, beating the previous record by 0.3°. He said January will continue to be warmer than usual in almost all regions of Russia.
Since January 2018 - when Bumrah made his debut - India's pacers have taken 274 wickets in 22 Tests at 20.74, the best among all teams. They also have the most five-wicket hauls (14). In wins, Bumrah has the best strike rate (30.4), best average (13.19) and best economy rate (2.59) among all bowlers since his debut.
In a question-answer session on micro-blogging site Twitter, Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin said that he will 'Mankad' anyone who goes out of the crease in the coming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The frail young footballer, desperate for a break, that iconic coach TK Chathunni met sometime in the last decade was indistinguishable from the seasoned veteran that amateur striker Ansar KJ encountered at Perinthalmanna on Sunday night.
"England would not be afraid of taking big decisions," said side's coach Chris Silverwood when asked whether the team can drop pacers Stuart Broad or James Anderson in the ongoing Test series against South Africa.
Former world number one Maria Sharapova will return to tournament action at the Brisbane International next month after being awarded a wildcard to play in the Australian Open warm-up.
As many as four thousand people are trapped on the foreshore of the encircled seaside town of Mallacoota, as smoke turned day to night and the authorities said nearby fires were causing extreme thunderstorms and "ember attacks". Preparations were reportedly under way for a sea or airborne evacuation if needed.
Ponting's Test team of the 2010 doesn't feature any other Indian apart from Kohli, who is currently ranked No.1 in both ICC Test and ODI rankings for batsmen.
The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) is expected to elect its next President by January 13 and if all goes as per plan, former India opener Gautam Gambhir could be asked to take over the chair as the association looks to get back to normalcy post Rajat Sharma's resignation.
Kohli has found a place in Wisden's Test and ODI team of the decade as well. The Indian skipper has also been included in the list of five cricketers of the decade announced by Wisden, along with Steve Smith, Dale Steyn, AB de Villiers and Ellyse Perry.
New Zealand have called up off-spinner Will Somerville to replace injured fast bowler Trent Boult for the third and final Test match against Australia in Sydney that begins on Thursday, the country's cricket board (NZC) said on Monday.
A controversial Sadio Mane goal was enough for Premier League leaders Liverpool to secure a nervy 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers and open up a 13-point cushion over their nearest challengers on Sunday.
Manchester City got back to winning ways on Sunday with Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne on target in the second half as Pep Guardiola's side beat Sheffield United 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium in a Premier League game which saw yet more VAR controversy.
Bhvuneshwar, who has been diagnosed with sports hernia, remains in doubt for India's tour of New Zealand and the pacer will soon be returning to the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru for rehabilitation.
Under pressure from the hosts, the Punjab Basketball Association (PBA) and the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) made a mockery of their own order issued on December 26 – the copy of which was made public on the concluding day of the nationals.
The All India Chess Federation has decided to file an FIR against Lahiri in alleged misappropriation of funds case during the national sub-junior meet held in Bengal last year.
Civil rights icon and US House Representative John Lewis has announced that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. The diagnosis followed a "routine medical visit," Lewis, a 79-year-old Democrat who has repeatedly sparred with President Donald Trump, said in a statement.
Indian football in 2019, to quote Jean-Paul Sartre, seems to have been happy in “confusing things with their names.” And be it a Sartrean belief or banality, the fact is that, after years of confusion, we have finally arrived at the much-anticipated road map in Indian football with a new name and new identity.
Liverpool’s Champions League triumph and Brazil’s Copa America victory were the bright spots in a year where racism and regressive banners played spoilsport in most arenas across the planet.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called at a ruling party meeting for "positive and offensive measures" to ensure security ahead of a year-end deadline he has set for denuclearisation talks with the United States, state media KCNA said. Kim suggested action in the areas of foreign affairs, the munitions industry and armed forces.
Under-fire New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said his beaten Black Caps side need a fresh mindset and improvement "in all departments" to avoid being whitewashed by a confident Australia in Sydney after their Boxing Day thrashing.