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

The Russian war on Ukraine has set off a chain reaction in the global economy with rising energy and food prices that will worsen poverty and hunger and exacerbate debt concerns, World Bank President David Malpass said Tuesday.

Diego Simeone has called for critics of Atletico Madrid's style of play to show more respect ahead of the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester City on Wednesday.

Rafael Nadal has not yet been able to resume training with a racket, said one of his team said on Tuesday, adding that the world No. 4 will "logically" miss the Barcelona tournament next week.

More than 4.6 million Ukrainians have now fled the war, the United Nations said Tuesday, though the smaller numbers of new refugees are arriving in a more vulnerable condition.

Shares in the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority rose nearly 16 percent on Tuesday in the Gulf region's biggest initial public offering since Saudi oil giant Aramco in 2019.

Dozens of Afghans protested Tuesday against Iranian "cruelties" after videos appearing to show refugees being beaten circulated widely over the weekend.

Former England prop Graham Rowntree will succeed Johann van Graan as head coach of Munster, it was announced Tuesday.

European stocks sank Tuesday as investors awaited the latest reading on rampant US inflation.

The afternoon sun beats down on Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where on an island, row after row of coffee bushes are bringing forth a rich harvest of berries.

Russian troops aimed to take control of the city of Mariupol on Tuesday, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine, as defending forces tried desperately to hold them back.

Manchester United fans are planning a protest against the Glazer family, the owners of the English football giants, on Saturday.

Fresh clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian militants rocked the West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday as a Palestinian stabbed a police officer in Israel before being shot dead.

By day it's Romeo's workplace, by night it's his home. Like many other finance sector workers in Shanghai, he has moved into the office to keep the wheels of commerce turning during a harsh Covid lockdown of the megacity.

The team of women rocked rhythmically from foot to foot carrying a 1.5-tonne float topped with a statue of Jesus and Mary on the streets of Granada in southern Spain.

President Emmanuel Macron's allies scrambled on Tuesday to defend his willingness to soften a pensions overhaul in the face of widespread resistance, a move which his far-right rival Marine Le Pen denounced as a "ploy" in the final sprint to the presidential run-off.

World Rugby are to examine the possibility of introducing the 20-minute red card as a global law trial.

There is a rhythm to the way the bodies are collected in the Ukrainian village of Andriivka.

Sri Lanka announced a default on its $51 billion foreign debt Tuesday as the island nation grapples with its worst economic crisis in memory and escalating protests demanding the government's resignation.

Millions of people in Somalia are at risk of famine, with young children the most vulnerable to the worsening drought in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, UN agencies warned on Tuesday.

US government data will on Tuesday likely confirm what many Americans already suspected: prices continued to rise at record rates last month, continuing a phenomenon that began last year but which has been exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Most Asian and European markets were down Tuesday, after a weak lead from Wall Street and with all eyes on key US inflation data due later in the trading day.

As Europe aims to wean itself off Russian fossil fuel because of the Ukraine invasion, Israel hopes to help fill the gap with gas from its offshore reserves.

Taiwan's military published a handbook on Tuesday advising civilians on how to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, including where to find bomb shelters and how to stockpile emergency supplies.

Indonesia's parliament passed a long-awaited sexual violence bill on Tuesday, a landmark decision that raises hopes of justice for victims after the country recorded a spike in reported cases during the coronavirus pandemic.

Australia's Minister for the Pacific was dispatched to the Solomon Islands on Tuesday over a controversial security pact Western allies fear will enable a Chinese military foothold in the South Pacific.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt Tuesday as the island nation grapples with its worst economic crisis in memory and widespread protests demanding the government's resignation.

Most Asian markets were down Tuesday afternoon, after a weak lead from Wall Street and with all eyes on key US inflation data due later in the day.

India hopes that Pakistan's new prime minister will herald a diplomatic thaw between the two nuclear-armed foes after years of tensions, analysts say.

In Denmark, large black pipes are about to be buried in a muddy trench, as construction of a gas pipeline from Norway to Poland resumes following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Australian state of Victoria said on Tuesday that it will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with all sporting events taking place outside the state capital Melbourne and scattered across several towns.

In an Albanian city once named for Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, dozens of Soviet- and Chinese-made planes rust in the open air on a former communist airbase, some with flat tyres, others covered with dust.

The United States announced Tuesday it had ordered all non-essential employees at its Shanghai consulate to leave, while voicing concerns for the safety of Americans in China as the government enforces hard lockdowns to contain Covid-19.