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

Duane Vermeulen will stand in for injured Siya Kolisi as captain of Rugby World Cup title-holders South Africa when they face Australia on Saturday in a Rugby Championship first round match.

The European Commission said Tuesday it was "concerned" about China's decision to impose export controls on two rare metals vital for making semiconductors amid an escalating tech battle between Washington and Beijing.

Carlos Alcaraz prepared to launch his Wimbledon campaign on Tuesday as two-time champion Andy Murray aimed to roll back the years on a damp day at the All England Club.

A car ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv wounded seven people Tuesday before the suspect was shot dead, on the second day of Israel's biggest military operation in years in the occupied West Bank.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday met with hundreds of French officials to begin exploring the "deeper reasons" for the country's plunge into riots after the killing of a teenager at a traffic stop.

Turkey warned Tuesday it will not be pressured into backing Sweden's bid to join NATO and said it was still assessing whether the Nordic country's entry would benefit or hurt bloc.

Move over Posh and Becks, forget "Brangelina" or "Kimye", there's a new power couple in town in the shape of Wimbledon lovebirds Stefanos Tsitsipas and Paula Badosa.

England suffered a major Ashes setback on Tuesday as Ollie Pope was ruled out for the rest of the series against Australia after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the second Test.

Asian and European equities faltered Tuesday in muted trade, with Wall Street shut for the US Independence Day holiday.

Elon Musk spent the weekend further alienating Twitter users with more drastic changes to the social media giant, and he is facing a new challenge as tech nemesis Mark Zuckerberg prepares to launch a rival app this week.

Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal said he was still not "100 percent" fit to play but nonetheless planned to take the field when the one-day series against Afghanistan begins Wednesday.

Wimbledon chiefs downplayed concerns over dampness on Centre Court on Tuesday despite a long delay during Novak Djokovic's first-round match on the opening day of the championships.

Chinese authorities have warned of extreme weather and "multiple natural disasters" in the coming month, as heavy rain damaged infrastructure and forced thousands to be evacuated.

NATO's members on Tuesday extended the tenure of alliance head Jens Stoltenberg for one year, after struggling to find a replacement in the shadow of Russia's war in Ukraine.

Israel pushed on for a second day Tuesday with its biggest military operation in years in the occupied West Bank, which left 10 Palestinians dead and forced thousands to flee their homes.

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg had already lined up a job as head of the central bank in his native Norway when Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed allies last year to ask him to stay on.

NATO's members on Tuesday extended the tenure of alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg for one year, after struggling to find a replacement in the shadow of Russia's war in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron was on Tuesday to meet with hundreds of French officials to begin exploring the "deeper reasons" for the country's plunge into riots after the killing of a teenager at a traffic stop.

Carlos Alcaraz launches his bid for a first Wimbledon title on Tuesday as home favourite Andy Murray starts his campaign a decade after his career-defining triumph.

Afghanistan's Taliban authorities have ordered beauty parlours across the country to shut within a month, the vice ministry confirmed Tuesday, the latest curb to further squeeze women out of public life.

China's Xi Jinping urged the leaders of Russia, Iran and other Shanghai alliance states on Tuesday to boost ties and resist sanctions, as Vladimir Putin thanked the bloc for support during a failed rebellion.

As a wealth of British theatre and opera maestros cross the Channel to perform at French festivals this summer, many are worried about the state of live arts back home.

Seven tech giants, including Amazon and Apple, have informed the European Union they meet the threshold to come under landmark new rules to curb their market dominance, Brussels said Tuesday.

Japan's plan to release treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea meets international standards and will have a "negligible radiological impact", the UN nuclear watchdog said Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron raised the idea of handing out quick-fire fines to the parents of children caught committing vandalism or robberies as part of the government's response to days of rioting.

Hong Kong's leader called on eight overseas activists to turn themselves in on Tuesday, a day after police put out bounties on them for violating the city's national security law.

Overnight violence in French cities has halved in 24 hours, the interior ministry said Tuesday, a week after riots erupted over the police killing of a teenager at a traffic stop.

Asian markets mostly rose on Tuesday as investors weighed signs of a slowing US economy against hopes the Federal Reserve's interest rate hiking cycle could be nearing its end.

A Polish mountaineer has died after summiting the world's ninth-highest peak, officials said Tuesday, becoming the first casualty reported in Pakistan's climbing season.

A bronze head of Emperor Septimius Severus on display at a Copenhagen museum has become a bone of contention between the Danish museum and Turkey, which claims it was looted during an archaeological dig in the 1960s and wants it back.

Israel's biggest military operation for years in the occupied West Bank continued for a second day Tuesday, leaving at least 10 Palestinians dead and forcing thousands to flee their homes as the government said it struck "with great strength" the militant stronghold.

The death of French teenager Nahel M., killed by a police officer during a traffic stop a week ago, has reignited the anger of young people and brought deeper problems back to the surface, according to residents of Paris's working-class suburbs.