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

A plane full of elated and relieved Australian tourists who had been trapped in New Caledonia during a week of rioting and looting touched down in Brisbane late Tuesday.

OpenAI chief Sam Altman publicly apologized Tuesday to Scarlett Johansson after the movie star said she was "shocked" by a new synthetic voice released by the ChatGPT-maker that sounds "eerily similar" to her.

Italian authorities were checking schools and a prison on Tuesday after 150 tremors, including the biggest for 40 years, hit the volcanic region near Naples overnight, causing no major damage or injuries but sparking widespread fear.

The Giro d'Italia's 16th stage was twice shortened due to hazardous weather conditions, including heavy snowfall, on Tuesday after a rider rebellion against organisers who pushed for a full day's racing.

The dream of one more match between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic evaporated Tuesday as Murray tumbled out of the Geneva Open on his comeback from an ankle injury.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday said the Bank of England should be mindful over when to start cutting interest rates or risk harming an economy recently out of recession.

Real Madrid's German international midfielder Tony Kroos announced on Tuesday he will retire from all football after Euro 2024.

Stock markets in Asia and Europe suffered a downturn Tuesday as profit-takers stepped in after racking up gains.

The Giro d'Italia's 16th stage was shortened due to hazardous weather conditions, including heavy snowfall, on Tuesday after riders had threatened not to take part in the start of day's racing.

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken the landmark step of requesting arrest warrants for top Israeli and Hamas leaders over the Gaza war and the October 7 attack.

Two statues smuggled out of Thailand, including a 900-year-old sculpture that spent three decades at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, were welcomed back to the kingdom in an official repatriation ceremony in Bangkok on Tuesday.

Donald Trump's team has vowed to sue over a biopic about his early years that includes rape, erectile dysfunction and ruthless betrayal, but the makers said on Tuesday the film allowed viewers to feel "sympathy" with the ex-president.

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit riot-hit New Caledonia, Paris said Tuesday, as tourists are evacuated from the Pacific territory that has suffered over a week of unrest.

A plane full of Australian tourists who had been trapped in New Caledonia by a week of rioting and looting touched down in Brisbane late Tuesday.

More than a dozen of the world's leading artificial intelligence firms made fresh safety commitments at a global summit in Seoul on Tuesday, the British government said in a statement.

French pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced Tuesday a partnership with ChatGPT-founder OpenAI and US biotech firm Formation Bio to accelerate the use of artificial intelligence in developing drugs.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock voiced concern on Tuesday over the worsening battlefield conditions for Ukrainian forces on the eastern front, during an unannounced visit to Kyiv.

Drivers and ticket inspectors on Paris commuter trains launched a one-day strike on Tuesday to pressure management over bonuses for the Olympics this July and August, leading to criticism of union tactics.

NGOs filed a criminal complaint against French oil giant TotalEnergies and its top shareholders in Paris on Tuesday, seeking a trial for involuntary manslaughter and other consequences of climate change "chaos".

Tottenham Hotspur coach Ange Postecoglou insisted Tuesday that his players will enjoy facing Newcastle in Melbourne despite a gruelling trip from England just hours after the Premier League season ended.

Israeli forces battled Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily dismissed a bid for an international arrest warrant against him on war crimes charges in the Palestinian territory.

The prime suspects from a group of conspiracy theorists accused of plotting to overthrow the German government went on trial in Frankfurt on Tuesday.

A military transport aircraft evacuated trapped tourists from riot-hit New Caledonia Tuesday, the first rescue flight since looting, arson and deadly gunfire enveloped the French Pacific territory eight days ago.

A 900-year-old statue that spent three decades at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York after being smuggled out of Thailand was welcomed back to the kingdom in an official repatriation ceremony in Bangkok on Tuesday.

A prince, a former MP and several ex-army officers went on trial on Tuesday, accused of masterminding a plot driven by conspiracy theories to attack the German parliament and topple the government.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's British-born wife Asma, who recovered from breast cancer in 2019, has been diagnosed with leukaemia, the president's office said on Tuesday.

India's government spice board has launched factory inspections of two top companies in the wake of foreign bans following accusations some products were tainted with pesticides, media reports said Tuesday.

Authorities evacuated 39 families near the Italian city of Naples and schools were closed on Tuesday after a wave of tremors of a strength not seen for decades sparked panic but no injuries.

The first trial in France of officials from the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad opened on Tuesday, with three top security officers to be tried in absentia for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes.

All Blacks star Beauden Barrett is back training with the Auckland Blues, the Super Rugby table-toppers said Tuesday, and could play for them this season after returning from Japan.

Tens of thousands of Iranians gathered Tuesday to mourn president Ebrahim Raisi and seven members of his entourage who were killed in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in the northwest.

The chef fires up the grill and bastes a chunky whale steak, a Japanese delicacy that could soon appear on more plates nationwide as a new whaling mothership sets sail despite criticism from conservationists.