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

Israel and Hezbollah traded fresh cross-border fire, as fears of a regional conflict grew after Israel revealed it had approved plans for a Lebanon offensive and the Iran-backed militants vowed to blanket their foe in rockets.

All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu said he surprised even himself by how fast he has recovered from a knee injury to captain the Auckland Blues in Saturday's home Super Rugby final.

England prop Dan Cole said he has no plans to retire from international rugby as he prepares to pick up his 113th cap against Japan in Saturday's Test in Tokyo.

Canada coach Jesse Marsch said Argentina should be fined after they came out late for the start of the second half in their Copa America match on Thursday.

It was a big night for Lilly King in and out of the water at the US Olympic swimming trials, where she secured a second swim at the Paris Games, then got engaged.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni hit out at the temporary grass surface installed for Thursday's Copa America opener against Canada saying it was unsuited for a major tournament game.

Asian markets mostly fell Friday following a broadly negative lead from Wall Street, where tech giants led a sell-off on profit-taking, while traders are on intervention watch as the yen retreats back towards a three-decade low.

New tensions emerged this week between President Joe Biden's administration and Benjamin Netanyahu over the Israeli premier's criticism of US weapons deliveries -- comments the White House described Thursday as "vexing" and "disappointing."

Veteran Kurtley Beale was recalled Friday after being cleared of sexual assault as new head coach Joe Schmidt named his first Australia squad for Tests against Georgia and Wales.

Lexi Thompson birdied the first three holes on her way to firing a four-under par 68, clinging to a one-stroke lead after Thursday's first round of the Women's PGA Championship.

Pat Cummins bagged a hat-trick as Australia restricted Bangladesh to 140-8 in their T20 World Cup Super Eight clash in Antigua on Thursday.

Ryan Murphy clocked the fastest time in the world this year to win the 200m backstroke at the US Olympic swimming trials on Thursday and set himself up for a 100m-200m backstroke double at the Paris Olympics.

World champions Argentina opened their bid for back-to-back Copa America titles with a 2-0 win over Canada in front of a crowd of 70,564 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday.

Waiting at home in Iraqi Kurdistan, Khadija Hussein holds faint hope of hearing word of further survivors from the shipwrecked vessel that carried 11 of her family members from neighbouring Turkey.

Ryan Murphy clocked the fastest time in the world this year to win the 200m backstroke at the US Olympic swimming trials on Thursday to set himself up for a 100m-200m backstroke double at the Paris Olympics.

In the pampas, Argentina's vast and fertile grasslands outside Buenos Aires, grain silos overflow with this year's harvest -- but nobody is selling just yet.

Colombia's leftist guerrillas are increasingly relying on drones to drop explosives on rivals, sowing terror in rural areas and leaving the military scrambling.

The controversial US effort to boost Gaza aid deliveries by building a temporary pier has faced repeated problems, with bad weather damaging the structure and causing other interruptions to the arrival of desperately needed assistance.

Donald Trump said he wants to grant green cards to foreign graduates from US colleges, in an apparent softening of his typically hard-line view on immigration, a key election issue.

The pace of Japanese inflation accelerated in May partly due to higher energy bills, government data showed Friday, as analysts speculate on the timing of the Bank of Japan's next rate hike.

Argentina star Lionel Messi became the most-capped player in Copa America history on Thursday as he reached 35 appearances in the opening match of the tournament against Canada.

Major League Baseball paid tribute to Negro League stars, including MLB legend Willie Mays who died on Tuesday at age 93, with a regular-season game on Thursday in Birmingham, Alabama.

Livewire winger Nico Williams was irresistible in Spain's 1-0 win over Italy at Euro 2024, the pick of a selection of exciting young stars who are raising hopes of a return to the glory days for La Roja.

Haiti's Prime Minister Garry Conille said Thursday that a decision to replace the national police chief was motivated by a need to give security forces a "new lease of life" against gangs terrorizing the population.

Riot police clashed with demonstrators in the French city of Rennes on Thursday in the latest rally against the rise of the far-right ahead of a national election this month.

The IMF executive board approved a new loan program with Tanzania worth around $786 million on Thursday to help it "build resilience to climate change," and also unlocked the latest tranche of money under an existing agreement.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente insisted his side are as good as any at Euro 2024 after they produced an outstanding performance to beat reigning champions Italy 1-0 on Thursday and qualify for the last 16.

South Korea's Tom Kim, playing for his eighth consecutive week, closed with back-to-back birdies to grab a two-stroke lead after Thursday's opening round of the US PGA Travelers Championship.

Spain secured a spot in the knockout stages of Euro 2024 with a 1-0 victory over Italy in their heavyweight clash on Thursday, after England struggled to show their credentials in a 1-1 draw with Denmark.

The United States on Thursday banned Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky from providing its popular antivirus products in the country on national security grounds, the US Commerce Department announced.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Thursday he was "incredibly angry" after more Conservative Party figures were put under investigation over alleged bets placed on the UK general election date.

The torrid rally in Nvidia and other artificial intelligence-linked equities took a pause Thursday, leaving the tech-centered Nasdaq lower following seven straight records.