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

Rising star Arthur Fils beat fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet at the Auckland Classic on Tuesday to end the veteran's run of more than 18 years in the world's top 100.

Asian markets enjoyed a much-needed bounce Tuesday after a dour start to the year, with Tokyo notching a three-decade high as traders tracked a rally on Wall Street.

Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova pulled out of the Adelaide International with a hip injury Tuesday just days before the Australian Open, as Jelena Ostapenko set up a clash against Caroline Garcia.

Critics are deriding as a step backward a new French energy bill that favours the further development of nuclear power and avoids setting targets for solar and wind power and other renewables.

United and Alaska Airlines both reported on Monday that loose hardware had been discovered on some of their Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes during preliminary inspections after a dramatic mid-flight incident last week.

Dribbling a football, Antoine Lemarie might be thousands of miles from home, but the journeyman is now on top of the world having landed his first professional football contract and scored online fame –- in Cambodia.

Taiwan's presidential election frontrunner on Tuesday accused Beijing of using "all means" to influence this weekend's crucial poll, which will set the course of cross-strait ties for the next four years.

Spikes jut from the beaches of Taiwan's Kinmen island, military checkpoints serve as traffic roundabouts and bunkers double up as tourist cafes -- reminders everywhere of the conflict decades earlier with Chinese communist forces.

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken was set to meet Israeli leaders Tuesday as part of efforts to contain the war in Gaza, a day after strikes in Syria and Lebanon killed high-profile members of Hamas and its ally Hezbollah.

Serial goal scorer Mohamed Salah has conquered the world, Europe and England with Liverpool. Now he dreams of leading Egypt to African glory.

A historic private mission to land on the Moon faced near-certain failure Monday after the spacecraft suffered a "critical loss" of fuel, dealing a major blow to America's hopes of placing its first robot on the lunar surface in five decades.

Can a deaf, Native American superhero with a prosthetic leg reinvigorate Disney's Marvel franchise, just weeks after its CEO appeared to criticize his filmmakers for prioritizing messaging over storytelling?

United and Alaska Airlines both reported on Monday that loose hardware had been discovered on some of their Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes during preliminary inspections after a dramatic mid-flight incident last week.

Cuba's cash-strapped government announced Monday that fuel prices will soar by more than 500 percent beginning February 1, part of a series of economic measures aimed at reducing the deficit.

China's foreign minister said Tuesday that relations with the United States "stabilised" last year, as the two powers seek to put ties on a surer footing in 2024.

Qatar go into the Asian Cup starting on Friday as hosts and holders but the shock axing of Carlos Queiroz as coach last month has thrown their title defence into serious question.

Asian markets enjoyed a much-needed bounce Tuesday after a dour start to the year, with traders tracking a rally on Wall Street fuelled by bargain-buying and a surge into sold-off tech giants.

It's all or bust at the Asian Cup for Jurgen Klinsmann, who has declared that anything but a first title since 1960 for South Korea will be a failure.

New All Blacks coach Scott Robertson said Tuesday he was pressing New Zealand Rugby to change its sacrosanct rule banning overseas-based players from Test selection, saying he wanted to pick from the best available.

Hundreds of thousands of Catholic faithful swarmed a historic statue of Jesus Christ as it was pulled through the streets of the Philippine capital on Tuesday, in one of the world's biggest displays of religious devotion.

Novak Djokovic is targeting an 11th Australian Open title and in the absence of injured Rafael Nadal several younger players are out to stop him.

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan began voting Tuesday in general elections with parties vowing to tackle serious economic challenges, calling into question its longstanding policy of prioritising "Gross National Happiness" over growth.

Since Sudan's war spread to Al-Jazira state south of Khartoum, farmers have watched their livelihoods wither away after fighting between paramilitary forces battling the army wreaked havoc on once-bountiful lands.

Novak Djokovic is once again red-hot favourite at the Australian Open as he chases an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title, but a wrist problem and the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz puts his all-conquering reign under threat.

From self-driving baby carriages to ChatGPT in Volkswagen cars, artificial intelligence is expected to be center stage at the CES gadget extravaganza that formally opens Tuesday in Las Vegas.

A caravan in Mexico of at least 1,000 migrants resumed its march northward towards the US border on Monday, accusing Mexican authorities of failing to fulfill their promise of granting humanitarian visas.

Ecuador declared a state of emergency Monday after a dangerous narco boss escaped from maximum security detention and unrest broke out at several prisons in the violence-plagued country.

The Golden Globes bounced back from years of scandal and dwindling audiences to draw 9.4 million viewers, preliminary figures showed Monday, even as the gala's flailing host was savaged by critics.

Manchester United eased the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag by ensuring there was no FA Cup third round shock in a 2-0 win at League One Wigan on Monday.

A lengthy essay speculating over superstar Taylor Swift's sexuality has triggered anger online, with some social media users calling for its retraction.

John Peter Rhys Williams -- who died aged 74 on Monday -- was one of Wales' most celebrated players during his country's 1970s golden era.

United Airlines said Monday it has discovered loose bolts on Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes in its fleet during preliminary inspections following an Alaska Airlines mid-flight incident.