Australian wildfire danger causes fire ban in Sydney and closes schools

SYDNEY (AP) — Sydney experienced its first total fire ban in almost three years on Tuesday and several schools along the New South Wales state coast to the south were closed because of a heightened wildfire danger, caused by unusually hot and dry conditions across southeast Australia. ...

Spain wins its first Women's World Cup title, beating England 1-0 in the final in Sydney

FIFA head Infantino says Women's World Cup breaks even but plays down calls for equal prize money

SYDNEY (AP) — FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Friday that the Women’s World Cup has “broken even” after generating more than $570 million in revenue but dismissed suggestions for equal prize money with the men's World Cup. The current World Cup prize pools sit at $110...

A nation of new Matildas fans salutes Australia's run to the Women's World Cup semifinals

SYDNEY (AP) — Sam Kerr looked up at the Stadium Australia crowd for the last time at this Women's World Cup, and it just compounded the gnawing disappointment that she and her Matildas had fallen one game before the final. In what has been an immense shift in the Australian...

Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston found not guilty of concealing his father's child sex crimes

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston was ruled not guilty Thursday of an Australian charge of concealing his father’s child sex crimes. Houston, 69, was the Sydney-based church’s senior global pastor when police charged him two years ago with...

A passenger is charged in Australia with threatening to blow up an airliner

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A 45-year-old man was charged Tuesday with threatening to blow up a plane during a flight from Australia to Malaysia that returned to Sydney. Police arrested Canberra resident Muhammad Arif and took him from the Airbus A330 on Monday, almost three hours...

Passenger arrested after flight from Australia to Malaysia returns to Sydney in 'emergency incident'

SYDNEY (AP) — An airline flight from Australia to Malaysia returned on Monday to Sydney, where a disruptive passenger was arrested hours later in what police described as an emergency incident. The emergency caused dozens of domestic flight cancellations and delays at Australia's...

Denmark beats Haiti 2-0 to set up a round of 16 encounter with Women's World Cup co-host Australia

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Denmark advanced to the round of 16 of the Women's World Cup for the first time since 1995 after beating Haiti 2-0 on Tuesday in its last group-stage match. The win sets up a round of 16 matchup against tournament co-host Australia in Sydney next Monday. ...

Caicedo shines before late Vanegas goal seals Colombia's 2-1 win over Germany at Women's World Cup.

SYDNEY (AP) — Believe the hype. Linda Caicedo is for real, and so are Colombia’s chances of going far at the Women’s World Cup. As for the country's fans, who gave Sydney Football Stadium the feel of a Colombia home game on Sunday, their passionate support created a jubilant...

Stock market today: Asian shares mixed, Tokyo falls as Bank of Japan adjusts bond purchase policy

BANGKOK (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Friday after the Bank of Japan adjusted its bond purchase policy but kept its negative benchmark interest rate unchanged. Tokyo and Sydney slipped while Hong Kong and Shanghai advanced. U.S. futures were lower and oil prices fell. ...