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

President Donald Trump on Monday demanded that US allies help secure the Strait of Hormuz, but European powers pushed back on a possible mission to reopen the vital waterway shut by Iran in response to US-Israeli attacks.

Heavy casualties were feared on Tuesday after Afghanistan accused Pakistan of hitting a treatment centre for drug addicts in the capital, Kabul, and killing civilians.

Two Iranian women footballers have trained with the Australian club Brisbane Roar after seeking asylum in the country, with one of them uploading a picture alongside a senior FIFA official saying: "Everything will be fine."

US President Donald Trump said Monday he had asked China to delay his summit with Xi Jinping by around a month while he deals with the war in the Middle East.

Multiple explosions from suspected suicide bombers rocked the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri Monday evening, police said, on the back of an overnight attack on a military post.

Wolves staged an impressive fightback from two goals down against Brentford as the Premier League's bottom club rescued a 2-2 draw thanks to Tolu Arokodare's late equaliser on Monday.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog said on Monday that Europe should back his country's fight against Hezbollah, as Israeli forces carried out ground operations in Lebanon.

US President Donald Trump vowed Monday to "take" Cuba as the communist island plunged into darkness under a total power blackout linked to a crippling oil embargo imposed by Washington.

Israel's President Isaac Herzog told AFP Monday that Europe should back his country's fight against Hezbollah, as Israeli forces carried out ground operations in Lebanon.

Oil prices retreated and equities rose Monday as investors remained focused on the Strait of Hormuz, with US allies pushing back against President Donald Trump's demands to help reopen the key waterway to oil and natural gas tankers.

Kylian Mbappe is ready to return from injury as Real Madrid aim to eliminate Manchester City in the Champions League last-16 second leg on Tuesday.

Nvidia announced Monday that it was joining the OpenClaw craze, unveiling tools to bring AI agents -- which can manage your email, files and calendar while you sleep -- into the corporate world.

Alleged Latin American narco trafficker Sebastian Marset made his first appearance in a US court on Monday after being handed over to the US authorities.

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Monday Neymar is "not 100 percent" fit so will miss two friendlies later this month as youngster Endrick returns to the squad.

The Afghan government on Monday accused Pakistan of killing civilians in fresh airstrikes on Kabul, but Islamabad said it had conducted precision strikes on military and "terrorist" targets.

In southern Lebanon's Ain Ebel, close to the border with Israel, Suad Jallad holds a poster of her son, killed by Israel last week, saying she would rather be buried next to him than leave.

Alleged Latin American narco trafficker Sebastian Marset made his first appearance in a US court on Monday after being handed over to the US authorities.

President Donald Trump is pressuring allies to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime choke point that has effectively been closed by Iran in response to the US-Israeli war launched last month.

A power outage struck the entire island of Cuba on Monday, the state-owned electric company said, the latest blackout as the United States pursues its oil blockade against the island's communist government.

President Donald Trump on Monday demanded US allies join an effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz, as European powers ruled out a NATO mission to reopen the vital waterway shut by Iran during the Middle East war.

A planned reboot "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," that was set to be directed by Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao, has been canceled, star and producer Sarah Michelle Gellar said.

A damaged Russian gas tanker that has been drifting in the Mediterranean without a crew for almost two weeks has 700 tonnes of fuel on board, Russia's foreign ministry said Monday.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele has urged the Champions League holders to show no mercy in their last-16 second leg against Chelsea on Tuesday.

Afghan authorities on Monday accused neighbouring Pakistan of attacking Kabul, as AFP journalists heard loud explosions overhead and anti-aircraft defences swung into action.

Liam Rosenior insisted Chelsea's controversial pre-match huddle is not meant to antagonise opponents as he refused to revealed if they will carry out their ritual before Tuesday's clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

Talks towards creating a new international panel to address extreme wealth disparities, modelled on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), opened in Geneva on Monday.

President Donald Trump criticized US allies on Monday for their lukewarm response to his call to help protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the US war against Iran.

China and the US held what both sides described Monday as constructive talks aimed at addressing volatile trade ties that have been upended by President Donald Trump's tariffs and the Middle East war.

Cava was flowing before the votes had even begun to be counted, and it was spilling everywhere when the counting was done, and long after that too, Barcelona's president reelect Joan Laporta exuberantly shaking a bottle of it in the early hours of Monday morning in his beloved party venue Luz de Gas.

Energy ministers from the EU's 27 nations huddled in Brussels Monday to discuss how to help families and businesses as the Iran war sends energy prices soaring.

Liam Livingstone has slammed the England hierarchy following his exile from international cricket, saying "no-one cares about you" when you are dropped.

Kimi Antonelli said Monday that he is eyeing further Formula One success after the teenage Italian announced himself on the world stage with victory in the Chinese Grand Prix.

The war in the Middle East has put the United States at high risk of falling into stagflation, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz told AFP on Monday.

The Israeli military said on Monday it was carrying out what it described as "limited" ground operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, with its defence minister warning that those displaced would not return home until northern Israel was secure.

The Swiss government on Monday rejected a hard-right proposal to limit immigration to stop the population from hitting 10 million before 2050, arguing it would harm relations with the European Union.

All the essential ingredients to make the DNA and RNA underpinning life on Earth have been discovered in samples collected from the asteroid Ryugu, scientists said Monday.

Cheap and deadly, Iranian-designed Shahed drones have inflicted major damage in the Middle East war, and have anti-jamming and other capabilities that make them difficult to stop.

Mikel Arteta said Max Dowman is ready to start "regularly" for Arsenal after the history-making teen sensation pushes for a place in Tuesday's Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

Eddie Jones believes it would be "foolhardy" for the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to replace Steve Borthwick as England head coach before next year's World Cup in Australia.